RIP Grandpa

I have never had someone close to me die until last night at 11:30 when my grandpa passed away. In high school there were a couple students i knew that died but they weren't that close to me so i never felt anything. My grandfather was different though because we were close and i say him often. He shared stories with me about the navy, took me hunting and taught me alot of other things. When he died it hit me that he is totally out of my life forever. There is no coming back or a way to reverse what has happened. He was a good man and all that is left of him is his memories and what he has instilled in me to carry out into the world. Thinking about it makes me realize that death is just a part of life. Everyone is born and than dies and in my life time there will be more people even closer to me that will pass away. Not to say that I should get used to loved ones dying but i think i should just accept it as a fact of life. Life is a present, a gift, an honor and it should be cherished.

Shrimp

For me being a smaller person of size would have its ups and downs. In the story we read in class about the kid who was always small, he seemed content with the fact that he has always remained short.  His whole life he has not grown much. I noticed that he wasnt complaining about being of smaller stature, but just stating the truth about what comes along with being a "shrimp". I think this shows alot of self awareness and maturity. Most people focus on their negative features and cannot get over their insecurities. He realized that there is nothing he can do about it and got over it. I think there is a lesson to be learned here from his story. We all have things about our appearance that we may dislike, but there is nothing we can do to change the way we are. The sooner people are able to accept themselves, the less they lose sleep over their unchangeable features.

A Mosque at Ground Zero?

The Muslim community in and around New York city have been creating plans for a Muslim community center/ Mosque a couple of blocks away from Ground Zero. To me this is an alarming topic because it could stir up alot of the anti-muslim sentiment that exists within New York City. The Muslim community has every right to build a community center/ mosque wherever it wants, i just dont understand why they are choosing to build it a few blocks away from ground zero. Are they not aware of what happened there on 9/11/01? I dont know. What i know is that they should respect the feelings of New Yorkers that are still trying to recover from that tragic day.