Essay on My Father's Death and Its Effect on Me

One sunny morning on February 15, 2016, I woke up expecting that it would be another regular day. But, what I didn't expect was my father collapsing, hitting a concrete pavement, and ending up in the hospital. The reason for his unconsciousness was due to him developing a severe case of pneumonia that got progressively worse, especially as it was left untreated. I was pulled out of my class a week later with no clue why. When I saw my mother and family members, they all looked grief-stricken. That's when I found out I lost my father. I was in utter disbelief, sobbing at the news. I sought for guidance among my immediate family members and found none, which meant that I now had to move forward in my life with my own volition.

The aftermath of my father's death drastically changed my life in a short timespan. One drastic change was my mother moving our family from an apartment unit to a spacious condominium. I was heavily opposed to the decision as the apartment unit had a lot of my childhood experiences. But, my mother said that it evoked too many memories of my father and that it would never allow the family to move on. I reluctantly agreed with the reasoning as I didn't have much of any choice regardless of what I wanted. 

After a couple of months living in the new condominium and exploring the new neighborhood, I was content with my new surroundings. I started to take on more personal responsibility, which I lacked as I was shy, and didn't appreciate the value of having a family. So, I started small at first, such as doing simple chores around my home and helping my younger brother with homework. I worked hard to alleviate any burden from my mother over the next couple of years as she was still emotionally crippled from my father's death. This meant that I assisted her with finances and helped manage a very small religious non-profit that helped people in need. 

Shortly, before my father's death, he stated that you should help people regardless if you gain anything in return. I took this advice to heart, and slowly incorporated it in my daily life. I saw the importance of helping people as it allows you to build social connections with other people and allowed me to see the less fortunate parts of society. I learned how to be grateful for my circumstances and that my father's death wasn't the worst event that could have happened in my life.