Olivas 1

Alexis Olivas
Professor Batty
English 28
8 October 2016
Lifeless Love
My grandfather was and will always remain the person I most look up to. He always had
solutions to problems and was also the unofficial planner for family meetings because he was the
only person who could bring everyone in the family together in one place. My grandfather would
always keep me on track. He constantly reminded me of important things in life such as the fact
that no one is perfect. All of this is, and more, is what I learned and experienced during the eight
years I got with him, his last eight years of life. His death impacted me a lot and even though I
only got to be with him for a short time, it was enough to impact me through all my life up to
now. It brought upon me a big life lesson at an early age.
My grandfather seemed to know how to solve anything. From fixing my bike to solving a
hard math problem he knew what to do. He would be the person I most went to for help. In
addition to being a great problem solver, he was the most successful at reuniting the family
therefore, he made sure it happened at least twice a month. He strongly believed in the
importance of family values and he wanted to make sure we never became strangers to our own
blood. He seemed like a Superman to me. The epitome of perfection. However, even though I
thought highly of him, he would not allow it. He would tell me, I am not perfect, and no one
else is, only God. Dont forget that. His acceptance to being far from perfect only made me look
up to him more. Through that he showed me how to be modest and not be judgemental. He

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taught me I wasnt perfect and that I will make lots of mistakes along the way. Through him I
also became a problem solver instead of complaining. I learned the importance of spending time
with family. He taught me many things but one thing I never thought I had to learn on my own at
the age of eight was to cope with his death.
The day he died was gloomy to begin with, before I even got the bad news. It can be said
that in a way, I felt it coming. When I was informed of his death I did not know how to react.
Failure to cope with the situation caused me to shut down. Something clicked in me and I began
to change. I found myself in an isolated place for a couple of years. I became intolerable to the
mistakes from others and was inconsiderate, even with myself. Aside from that, I would no
longer think clearly. This unclear state of mind caused me to constantly complain even for little
things. Most sadly of all, I grew apart from my family. They would get together once in while in
honor of my grandfather but I would refuse to attend. I soon became the opposite of everything
my grandfather believed in. Although, later on, I came to realize it on my own.
After three years of not visiting my grandfathers grave, I decided to do it. I remember
standing in front of his grave for hours looking down at the picture on the plaque. His smiled
shined at me as bright as the sun. I began to reminisce all those moments where wed joke
around and hed tell me stories with life lessons. At that moment I realized the mistakes I had
done. Later, after a couple of tears, I promised to him I would make changes and made my way
home to start.
As a result of all this, I became a different person. Nowadays I try to be the problem
solver, or help, for others when it is asked from me. I am patient in tough situations. I am open
minded and try not to judge others decisions and such. Also, I became accepting to everyone and

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the things in life. Among that there is also constant contact between my family members, near or
far, and I. All in all, my grandfather made a huge impact in my life and he will always be a big
part of who I am through his life lessons, which ironically includes his death.