Life Lesson Essay

One of the life lessons I learned is to always be thankful for the people around me and not take them for granted. Unfortunately, many people, including myself, tend to not appreciate what we have until we lose them entirely. Then later, there might come moments in our lives when you miss someone so much that you just want to pick them out from your dream and hug them for real. Only then, it’ll be too late to go back. I did not experience these until my grandmother passed away.

My grandmother watched me grow up and took care of me when I was a little girl because my parents were frequently away at work. She loved me so much that she would do anything for me, but I did not realize this until she passed away. Being the only adult at home, she had to do all the household chores and take care of me at the same time. Every day after school, she would wait for me at the doorway and ask me what I wanted to eat for lunch, and immediately she would cook the food for me.Every time I went out to play with my friends, she would ask me where I was going and when I would return home, so that she would know when to prepare the dinner for me. As I grew older, however, I started to hate the way she waited for me everyday at the doorway and asked me where I was going. I told her that I was now old enough and that she didn’t have to treat me like a little girl anymore. However, she continued to act the same way .

One day when I came home from school and saw her standing there waiting for me as always I simply burst out in anger.I yelled at her and told her that I was older now and that I did not need her anymore. She did not say anything to me and I stormed out the house. I came home very late that night and slipped in to my room quietly.

I was surprised to find a bowl of rice and two plates of dishes on the table. I did not eat the food and dumped the whole thing into the trash can. The next morning I woke up early and went to school without saying anything to her. Two months later my parents told me we were immigrating to America.My mother told me that my grandmother did not want to go with us. saying she was too old and would just be an encumbrance to the family.

I was depressed that I had to leave the place where I grew up, but at the same time I was secretly glad that my grandmother as not coming with us. On the day of the departure at the airport , my grandma told me to take care of myself when I get there and, for the first time, I saw her cry. I wanted to cry too when I saw the tears rolling down her face, but I turned my head away and did not even say good-bye to her.

For the first several months after arriving in America, I was occupied with learning English and did not call my grandma even though I had heard from my parents that she became really ill after we left. I remember that it was on a cold December day when I heard the news from my parents that my grandmother had passed away. Upon receiving the news, I could not help my tears stream down my face. In my heart, it finally hit me that something that had always been there was now gone.I could not stop crying as I became fully aware of the terrible truth that I would never see my grandma again waiting at the doorway, however hard I wished for it. Four years have passed since my grandmother passed away. Every time I look at her pictures, tears just begin to roll down my face. Every dayI regret never having apologized to her for the argument we had and all the strong words that I had said to her in the feat of anger.

Above all elseI very much regret never having hanked her for all the things she had done for me. If only I had a second chance I would tell her “I love you grandma. ” Except that now it’s too late.