A Lesson From a Loved One

I have always been an overly positive person and despite what some people may think, I am proud of the way I am. However, due to recent circumstances, I have seen the world in an entirely different way, even more upbeat than before. Unfortunately, last week I lost my grandma, which was extremely hard for me and my entire family because of how close we all are. But through this experience, something my dad said about her really stood out to me. My grandma was one of the sweetest people I knew without a doubt. All of the stories everyone told about her had to do with her kindness, especially all of my dad’s stories. He told me that as much as my grandma disliked swearing, the worst word that could ever be said was the “h-word.” And that word is not the word you would naturally think, but instead it was the word “hate.” She never wanted to hear any of her children saying they hate other people, no matter the circumstances. It’s one thing to hate vegetables or push-ups, but once you use that word about another person, that’s not okay and it was something my grandma felt very strongly about. I like to think that’s part of the reason my family is so nice all of the time. Because it really is an important thing for people to understand and the mindset my grandma had is a mindset that I wish everyone would hold.

I know when I was a kid, I would never dare say the word hate. However, as I grew up, much like everyone else I assume, I became more familiar with the word and suddenly didn’t find it as insulting. But it really is a negative word. A word that should not be used on other people at all. Nobody wants to hear that someone else dislikes them, let alone hates them. Sure, there are people that have treated us poorly and those are not people we should keep in our lives. There are also probably people that we might think deserve to be referred to in that matter. However, instead of holding a grudge or hatred toward those people, we need to get on with our lives. We’re all just people. We all want to succeed and be happy in life. That’s something we need to respect in one another rather than bringing others down. I know it may seem like a hard thing to accomplish for an entire lifetime, but my grandma did it, so I know I can too. I want to encourage others to try and live that type of amazing life as well.

There are times now and then when I will catch an insult slip out of my mouth before I can stop it and in the past, it did not seem like a huge deal, but now I instantly regret it. My grandma is the first person I think of. And if she wouldn’t have said those kind of negative things toward others, then neither should I. I want to make her proud and I want to make those around me just as happy as I typically am. Without complaints or insults weighing me down anymore, there is a huge burden lifted off my shoulders. I’ve felt happier, healthier, and overall a better person. Of course it’s a terrible tragedy to love a beloved family member this way, but instead of letting it bring me down, I have done everything I can to make the best of it. We don’t have to let unfortunate situations or disrespectful people bring us down. And we certainly should never be those types of people toward others. We should just enjoy life while we have it and stop getting hung up on all of the hatred around us. The more people that can share the kindness that my grandma had, the better. So next time you feel upset toward another person, don’t bring them down. Don’t pay attention to their negative actions. Just try your best to share kindness. I know that is one lesson that my grandma would have wanted me to share with the world.