ESL Blogs

Grandparents make the world ... a little softer, a little kinder, and a little warmer.

My dear friends,

My grandfather was a lovely friend of mine. Since I was a child I spent most of my childhood days in my grandparents' place. I spent more time in my grandparents' house than in mine. My house and my grandparents' house were in the same neighborhood. Every day when everybody was busy with their daily life activities, my parents would leave me to my grandparents care. I love my grandfather the most; he always spent his time accompanying me playing. When he was reading a newspaper or magazine or when he was watching television, he always put me on his lap. I liked that the most. He was the one who always spoilt me. Even though sometime he was teasing me, he still was my favorite.

With my grandfather, I could share everything; he was a smart grandfather. He checked the report cards of all of his grandchildren at school. He also listens to our problems in our school; we discussed many things. He, my grandfather, seldom scolded his grandchild; he was more like a friend to us, his grandchildren. Even sometimes, we, grandchildren and grandfather, were teasing our grandmother together and then we would be scolded together too by our grandmother..

When I was in my second year of my junior high school my grandmother passed away, I knew that was a very hard time for my grandfather. My grandfather who was full of happiness and cheerful, but now I couldn't see his smile as cheerful as before. He must have really loved my grandmother.

When I was in high school, I couldn't spend much time visiting my grandfather. Before, I could spend all of my days at my grandfather's house. I only visited him once a while on Sunday, since our house is not in his neighborhood any more.

One Saturday afternoon, my uncle who lives with my grandfather came to our house and informed us that my grandfather was hospitalized. Me and my parents were shocked. It had been a while since the last time I met my grandfather. I did not know that he was sick. My parents said that we would visit him tomorrow morning, but I would have a test in my cram school the next day. The next day, we came to the hospital to visit my grandfather and then I went to my cram school test.

It was a heavy rainy Sunday, the test already done by 5pm but I decided to wait until the result of the test announced. The result was announced by 7pm and the happiest thing was that I got the first rank of the test; I was really happy and really could not wait to tell my mother that I was the first rank. That evening, passing through the flood cause by heavy rain I went back to the hospital because my parents still there.  I ran on the road as fast as I could to tell my parents my happiness but I was stunned when I was in front of my grandfather's room. There, in my grandfather's room there were so many people with sad eyes, I heard sadly crying. I did not know what was going on in there. I was so afraid. I decided to wait in the lobby with some relatives. In the night, when some relatives went home already, my aunt asked me to stay with her in the hospital but I refused because I had to go to school the next morning and I had my cram school after that, I explained. Because I did not want to stay in the hospital, my father decided to stay to accompany my aunt.

That night, my mother and I arrived at home around 10pm. I prepared for everything I needed for school tomorrow, my books, my home works, everything. I went to bed around 11.15pm. That night, when I was about to sleep, I could hear my father's voice clearly calling us out. My mother comes to my room with teary eyes, she was crying, she come to my bed and holds me tight and said that my grandfather had already gone. At that time I did not know if it was just a dream or real but all I knew that I cried so hard. I had lost my last time to spend with my grandfather that I really love.

That night no one knew that I was the first rank in my cram school test, the happiest news that I really wanted to share to my parents and my grandfather. That night I was not only lost my grandfather, but also one of my best friends.  That night, I lost the time when he talked to me softly; I lost the time when he teases me. That night nobody knows how I regret the time that I never shared with my grandfather.

My dear friends,

Time is more precious than gold, more precious than diamonds, more precious than oil or any valuable treasures. Treasure the time that you still have with everyone you love.