Rain falls constantly. It’s continual dripping interrupts the world’s daily activities.

Whatever the people have planned will fall to ruins at the simple pitter patter of little rain

drops. The rain, itself, does not care about the world or the inhabitants. It simply pours

down on the people, never stopping or even slowing down for a basic humans needs or

desires.


Nature, in her own way, is exceptionally similar to the rain. As hard as one might

try, nature, in her own brutal manner, continues without pause or regard. She does not

pause for a single person’s demands. At some times she takes on a more benign

disposition and gracefully eases people out of this world. But at other times, she cruelly

rips people from this world as though they were mere pages of a book only to be throw

away later. Simply put, nature has a surprising way of dealing with death.


A father, a mother, a daughter, and another daughter. These are the basic components that make up a family. A family of four, to be more precise. However, a family is much more than beings flung together in a building. Each one person in the family has a soul and needs that must be met.

Family is a unit in which each person contributes something to make the entire group functional. Slowly, the family becomes a group; they bear each other’s burdens, pull each other up, and protect each other. The family unit makes each person stronger, like an animal pack. However in today’s society it has become easier to poke, pry, bend, and break a family’s bonds, until they are mere severed strings. Sometimes a burden becomes too heavy to bear by a person alone, thus forcing the unit closer together. Each and every family unit struggles and has to push onward or break apart and cease to be.
Death puts a particular strain on the family, especially if death in the family has occurred. Since death is a difficult topic it can be burdensome to express feelings, and to help each other move on.

In this tale of reality, the family is trust into a tragedy. The father is a hard working individual who works tirelessly to provide for the family. The mother is an endless strength and support on whom the family rests. The eldest daughter is curious and still unsure about the ways of the world. The youngest daughter is a child working her way into the world.

The grandmother in the family was a ripe eighty years old. Her time was running short, like every other person. The father was expecting it. He knew that no one could live forever, seeing his own parents passed away many years ago. The mother was adjusting to the idea that shortly her mother was mortal and therefore going to leave this world and enter a far better one. Yet the thought still brought continuous tears to her eyes. The oldest daughter was somber, yet not overcome with sadness, because she had felt this day coming since her birth. She had seen her grandmother live through two knee replacements, a kidney removal, cancer, arthritis, and a permanent staph infection. The youngest daughter did not have the understanding that all things come to an end, thus she was unknowing for the upcoming event looming in the near future. This family unit agreed to hold each other during this time of strife, yet the other family members were not as hopeful.
The grandfather was cynically heartbroken. His cynical nature was more pronounced exemplified by his statement that his wife’s time was ending, and when that happened she would remain in the dirt. Yet, his softer side was also pronounced. His life mate was slowly disintegrating before his fading eyes; both physically and mentally.
The only person in the entire family that remained peaceful was the grandmother. She was at ease, knowing that she would not have to face the world’s trials any longer. The family visited her, three days before her death.
She looked extremely tired.
She was painfully thin.
She was so weak.
Yet she was at peace.
The grandmother asked the eldest daughter to brush her sparse hair. The daughter hesitantly took up the task, afraid to hurt the dying woman. It was fitting because the oldest daughter, as a little girl, loved to have the grandmother brush her hair; she was gentle and kind. Now the roles were reversed. The daughter tried to do her best to return the favor. The initial sight of their dying grandmother put both children in shock, but they began to feel more at ease as the grandmother spoke, and even began to banter good-naturedly with individual family members.
The days went by slowly. Family members went around unsure when the grandmother would take her last stand. Waiting with baited breath, ready to drop their lives to be available for the last viewing, the time was creeping closer now than ever.
At last, the waiting was done, and the grandmother peacefully transcended from this world into the next. She was remembered and honored long after her soul left her body.
The rain drizzles down. The world realizes that it has lost a extraordinary person. The rain sprinkles onto the earth; a place full of pain and suffering. Nature sags down in misery at the loss. But through the rain, hope is born. The rain finally stops and the sun comes out. With a new found faith, the family continues to press on.