The Courage of Children: Boston and Beyond XXXIII
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DIEGO DE LEON MERIDA<br />
MELISSA MA AND NICOLE PRECOURT, TEACHERS<br />
Salemwood School, Malden, MA<br />
What I am trying to do in my life right now is move on through hard times.<br />
When my gr<strong>and</strong>ma passed away last summer, I had this sadness come out <strong>of</strong><br />
me. It sometimes brings me to dark places <strong>and</strong> leads me to misbehave in school<br />
or at home—it ruins me. I couldn’t imagine a world without my gr<strong>and</strong>ma, but<br />
it unfortunately happened. Life without my gr<strong>and</strong>ma is hard, <strong>and</strong> knowing she<br />
isn’t here with me right now makes me want to cry. She changed my whole<br />
perspective on life with her wise words. She made me who I am, <strong>and</strong> without<br />
her, I’m nothing. I miss her so much.<br />
“I CAN CONTROL<br />
MY BEHAVIOR AND<br />
ATTITUDE, AND I’M<br />
LEARNING TO USE<br />
COURAGE EVERY DAY<br />
TO LIVE WITHOUT<br />
SOMEONE I LOVE.”<br />
On a summery Tuesday morning, my dad told me that my gr<strong>and</strong>ma wasn’t<br />
getting better in the hospital <strong>and</strong> that we had to go visit her. We waited for my<br />
mom, <strong>and</strong> we went to the hospital. When we arrived, I saw my whole family<br />
there sobbing. It was such a sad sight to see.<br />
At the hospital, I left my gr<strong>and</strong>ma’s hospital room with my dad, <strong>and</strong> when<br />
I went back, she had been pronounced dead. My heart sank to my stomach,<br />
<strong>and</strong> I couldn’t believe it. After that day, my life went downhill.<br />
This feeling was traumatizing. <strong>The</strong> funeral was just as bad. Everyone was<br />
crying, <strong>and</strong> just looking at her body made my heart sink, <strong>and</strong> I felt like<br />
everything was crumbling down. A world without a gr<strong>and</strong>ma is hard. My<br />
family all felt devastated, but it really hit my dad <strong>and</strong> me hard. We didn’t know<br />
what to do in this situation. I asked my dad how I could keep moving on with<br />
life. He said, “She is here. You just don’t see her. She is always in your heart.”<br />
<strong>The</strong>se words made me change my perspective on the situation.<br />
It not only takes courage to live without my gr<strong>and</strong>ma, but it also takes courage<br />
to learn to move on <strong>and</strong> not let it get to me. I keep thinking to myself, If only they<br />
had taken her to the hospital earlier, she’d still be here. But ultimately, we have to let<br />
life do its thing. Everything happens for a reason, <strong>and</strong> I can’t control certain<br />
things that happen in life. I can control my behavior <strong>and</strong> attitude, <strong>and</strong> I’m<br />
learning to use courage every day to live without someone I love.<br />
THE COURAGE OF CHILDREN: BOSTON AND BEYOND<br />
VOLUME <strong>XXXIII</strong><br />
116 117
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