you don't have to read this. it's an essay for my AP english class.
It's sappy to me.
Not everyone has gone through an experience that has changed their lives by the age of sixteen. Not every teenager knows what their life could have been like if one event had been altered. I don't really think they think about it that much. Life altering situations seem to happen everyday, but most of the time your moving so fast you don't notice them. I was seven when my life was altered. Too young to understand exactly how it would be changed, but now that I'm older, and I've reflected on the past I know exactly what's made me who I am, going to be, will always be. When I was seven, the first house my family had ever owned, and will ever own until present day, burned down.
You see, I'm the oldest child in my home family. I'm the only girl, and I have two younger, disabled brothers. I had never had that much responsibility; however I was a little kid so you wouldn't expect that much out of me anyways. I spent most of my free time playing with my dollhouse, or being the teacher when my brothers and cousins wanted to play school. I guess you could say everything was normal. I had a normal childhood. I just wish that feeling of being a child hadn't ended so abruptly.
September 6, 1998. I was once told the more you think about a memory the more it fades. I don't think that happened for this day. Mom, dad, my brothers, and I were going to the grocery store. Everyone stayed in the car while my mom went in. I don't remember much else until we got the phone call, so I couldn't say how long we were waiting in the car for my mother, if we would have gotten home before the incident occurred if we had never went, if something a lot more devastating could have happened. I remember the phone call though. Maybe not crystal clear, but I believe this was the gist of it:
Dad's cell phone rings, "Hello? ... My house?!" And then he rushed into the store to get my mother. I remember her looking bewildered, I still didn't know what was going on, I noticed how she didn't have any groceries, so I asked why. I never got an answer.
I remember so many phone calls while we were in the car ( I might have imagined them though), a lot of pointless shouting, and then pulling up to Justin Road and seeing smoke, the fire trucks, everyone standing outside and gawking. I knew what had happened now. I understood, but I couldn't stand to cry. I knew if I cried my brothers would realize something was wrong, and even then I wanted to protect them form things I knew would scare them. We couldn't drive up to the house, so we pulled into a neighbor's drive way. I remember how that nice lady let us use the bathroom, to me it was a chance to confirm with my mother what I already knew, and my dad had gone to the house already to talk to police. As I was standing in front of the mirror with her and I asked if the smoke was coming from our house. She said yes. That's when I began to cry.
Ever since that day, my whole world changed. We didn't have a permanent home for a year. The only things I have left from that house are a stuffed bear and a few knick knacks. Ever since that day I took on more responsibility. Ever since that day I really did start to grow up. I started to appreciate things. To this day I still don't care much for material possessions. It's great to have nice things, but every time I get something new my brain automatically reminds myself that it could be taken away at any second. You could lose everything you once loved. Ever since that day I slowly began to realize how precious life is, and can be if you just take the time to notice.
Not everyone has gone through an experience that has changed their lives by the age of sixteen. Not every teenager knows what their life could have been like if one event had been altered. I don't really think they think about it that much. Life altering situations seem to happen everyday, but most of the time your moving so fast you don't notice them. I was seven when my life was altered. Too young to understand exactly how it would be changed, but now that I'm older, and I've reflected on the past I know exactly what's made me who I am, going to be, will always be. When I was seven, the first house my family had ever owned, and will ever own until present day, burned down.
You see, I'm the oldest child in my home family. I'm the only girl, and I have two younger, disabled brothers. I had never had that much responsibility; however I was a little kid so you wouldn't expect that much out of me anyways. I spent most of my free time playing with my dollhouse, or being the teacher when my brothers and cousins wanted to play school. I guess you could say everything was normal. I had a normal childhood. I just wish that feeling of being a child hadn't ended so abruptly.
September 6, 1998. I was once told the more you think about a memory the more it fades. I don't think that happened for this day. Mom, dad, my brothers, and I were going to the grocery store. Everyone stayed in the car while my mom went in. I don't remember much else until we got the phone call, so I couldn't say how long we were waiting in the car for my mother, if we would have gotten home before the incident occurred if we had never went, if something a lot more devastating could have happened. I remember the phone call though. Maybe not crystal clear, but I believe this was the gist of it:
Dad's cell phone rings, "Hello? ... My house?!" And then he rushed into the store to get my mother. I remember her looking bewildered, I still didn't know what was going on, I noticed how she didn't have any groceries, so I asked why. I never got an answer.
I remember so many phone calls while we were in the car ( I might have imagined them though), a lot of pointless shouting, and then pulling up to Justin Road and seeing smoke, the fire trucks, everyone standing outside and gawking. I knew what had happened now. I understood, but I couldn't stand to cry. I knew if I cried my brothers would realize something was wrong, and even then I wanted to protect them form things I knew would scare them. We couldn't drive up to the house, so we pulled into a neighbor's drive way. I remember how that nice lady let us use the bathroom, to me it was a chance to confirm with my mother what I already knew, and my dad had gone to the house already to talk to police. As I was standing in front of the mirror with her and I asked if the smoke was coming from our house. She said yes. That's when I began to cry.
Ever since that day, my whole world changed. We didn't have a permanent home for a year. The only things I have left from that house are a stuffed bear and a few knick knacks. Ever since that day I took on more responsibility. Ever since that day I really did start to grow up. I started to appreciate things. To this day I still don't care much for material possessions. It's great to have nice things, but every time I get something new my brain automatically reminds myself that it could be taken away at any second. You could lose everything you once loved. Ever since that day I slowly began to realize how precious life is, and can be if you just take the time to notice.