Free Writing – Grandpa Bagley

My Grandpa Bagley went to the hospital today to have a minor surgery done to help his tear ducts drain properly, but 20 minutes into the operation his heart stopped beating. Thanks to modern medical technology and proficient doctors my grandpa is still alive tonight. He is in the ICU, and they will spend tomorrow monitoring him and doing tests on his heart, but he is alive. I’ve never had anybody close to me die before, and the news this morning that my grandpa might not make it came as a shock. My grandpa is getting old and his health isn’t what it once was, but he’s always been around and it is hard to imagine what life would be like with him gone. I guess you just never really know when tragic things are going to happen, so it’s difficult to be prepared when they do. My family has bonded together today through a constant exchange of phone calls and text messages, and we have been able to comfort each other through a roller-coaster of emotions. I guess the thing that I realized most today is how often I take meaningful relationships for granted. I’m surrounded each day by people who make my life wonderful. I don’t know what I would do if I lost my wife or someone in my immediate family, but I do know that from now on I’ll do a better job of loving them while I still can.