10 Topics (again only picking one) that remind you of a particular incident that you can relate in a clearly organized narrative essay.
Memorable Funeral
I will remember that weekend for the rest of my life.
Life was empty and not as exciting after Mike died. He was a young man that had his entire life in front of him.
On Friday December 2, 1994, I was at the grocery store with my mother, we were running some errands before our busy weekend. A really good friend of mine was having his engagement party Saturday night, and then on Sunday we were going to visit family in a town south of us.
While at the store, we saw a couple of women from church, that were my moms contemporaries. One of them mentioned that they were going to go to Moberly Saturday morning, because a guy from the Moberly Congregation had died. I asked who, they said Mike S. I immediately fell apart, they had no clue that I was so close with Mike. He was my best friends brothers best friend. She asked how I knew him, and told her that my best friend Kari, her brother, Koby and Mike were best friends, and so of course we were always hanging around together. And also, Koby's wife is sister to Mike's fiance. I said something about there being an engagement party for Mike and his fiance Saturday night, and that we had been planning on going.
She then told me how the accident had happened. Mike apparently worked in Columbia on the night shift, and was on his way home that Friday morning, and someone else didn't see him, pulled in front of him sideswiping him, on the highway, and he was immediately killed.
I don't remember much until we got to his parents house on either Friday or Saturday night, all of our friends and his family were sitting around. I believe someone had brought in veggie platters and some desserts, but not for sure. There was not a viewing before his funeral on Monday, at least I don't remember there being one.
I don't believe we went to our families gathering on Sunday, at least I don't remember anything about it. On Monday we went back to Moberly for the funeral. It was very difficult, we got to the funeral, there were literally hundreds of people there, it was so full, there was nearly only standing room.
Mike was one of those people that everyone loves, he was funny, intelligent, and it didn't hurt that he was cute.
There are two scenes at the funeral that I will never forget, ever. The first one, is before the funeral, and people are still viewing the body, I was close to the back, finding seats for my mom and I, while she was mingling with friends. And I saw his fiance go up to Mike, she was crying, not just crying, it was that soul breaking sobbing that takes over your entire body, Annie even attempted to climb into the casket with him, her sister, Katie and her father in law had to drag her away. I just stood there, with tears falling, watching this, it was so heartbreaking, even now, tears well up, the memory will always be just a tear away.
The next thing I remember, we are in the car, getting ready to leave for the cemetery, and Koby and his wife, Katie, and Koby's dad walks out of the funeral home, and Koby just loses it, he falls, it honestly scared me, I was really young at the time, only 21. I had never seen a man so emotional, and it absolutely broke my heart so see a guy I looked up to, fall apart and loose it like he did.
I had grown up going to Kari and Koby's house on the weekends, my dad was an abusive man, and so alot while I was growing up, I welcomed those weekends away. It was a refuge for me, and to know that Kari, Angie (another good friend), Koby, Mike, and others were there for me, was one of the highlights of my life. Mike wasn't going to be there anymore, he was gone, life was forever altered, and we still miss you very much.
It has been 18 years since then, alot of lives have changed. Annie got married a few years later, I have married, and divorced. Many of our friends have married and have children in their teens now. Mike has two nephews, that at the time were around 10-12 years old, they of course have grown, I believe one of them has even gotten married. One of them looks so much like Mike, its eerie.
Even tho I had a hard childhood, knowing all my friends were there for me, and that I could always "run away" to them if need be, even as we all became adults, and went our separate ways, it was a comfort to know they were there.
I see those friends every now and then, but it isn't nearly as often as when we were kids. The memories tho are the best of my life.
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Writing Assignment Two
Ten Topic Suggestions for a descriptive paragraph or essay:
(I am only picking ONE)
A Waiting Room
Joel stood up and began pacing. He looked around himself, it was a basic hospital waiting room. The old plastic chairs, the 3 year old magazines on broken down side tables. He hated this place, he had been here too many times in his life to ever like being here.
There was the time his twin brother, Justin, had climbed a tree to save a kitten, and the kitten had scratched at Justin. That causing Justin to pull back too quickly and he had gone flying out of the tree, hitting his head and getting knocked out. He was in the hospital for nearly a week, they were worried about brain damage, but fortunately, nothing had been damaged.
"Justin, remember the time you tried rescuing that kitten?"
"Actually, I remember very little about it. I just remember you crying over me in my bed!" Justin grinned
"I was not, that was mom and Julie. I kept trying to bring that kitten in, and they wouldn't let me."
"That cat was the devil, it was from hell, and it needed to go back to hell!"
Joel sat down on the falling apart chair, and nearly fell out of it, he was laughing so hard. "You never gave the cat a chance, he was sweet as could be."
"To you maybe, that stupid cat loved you, always finding a way into our room, would take a dump in my underwear drawer, then curl up in your bed as if nothing had happened!" Justin laughed and sat down in a chair similar to Joel's. Ugly as sin, puke green, and the stuffing coming out of it.
Why this hospital did not have a better waiting room was beyond him, it looked like it had been designed in the 40's and never had an update.
"Can you believe this waiting room? It looks like our grandparents were born here!" Justin asked
"Actually, I think Mom was born here," Joel replied "I remember Grandpa saying something about it one time. I think when Julie broke her arm, he and I were sitting here, and he looked at some magazine or something, and said it was the same magazine he read when Mom was born."
Justin coughed and laughed even harder, "Was it Popular Mechanics or a Better Homes and Garden?"
"No, I want to say it was either a Consumers Report or something like that, but who knows, I don't know what magazines they had in 1920." Joel grinned, because he knew if his mom had heard him say that year, she would have smacked him against the back of his head.
"Oh, be glad Mom didn't hear that!"
Just at that moment, their Mom came walking through the door. "Hear what?"
Justin and Joel stood up, Joel gave his Mom a hug, saying, "Oh, that Justin has a new boyfriend." Joel grinned at Justin.
"Are you still going on about that? That was just an embarrasing situation years ago, why you boys can't stop picking on each other, I will never understand. How is Rachel?"
"They aren't saying, and I haven't seen a nurse or a doctor since they sent us in here. And this place is crap, why haven't they updated in here? The entire hospital is beautiful except for this room! There isn't even a coffee station or anything!" Joel banged around and stomped around, taking his frustrations out on the waiting room. "If they are going to make me wait so long, they could at least have something decent here!"
Lola put her arm around Joel, "Honey, its okay, Dad is out there asking questions, you know he will get further than any of us ever would, why don't we go down to the cafeteria?"
"No, I want to be here when they finally tell me something about Rachel, Mom, it isn't fair, I finally found the girl of my dreams, and God wants to take her away from me."
"Joel Robert Magnus! I never want to hear you blaspheme again! You know very well God doesn't take away lives! He gives life, He is NOT and Indian Giver!"
The door to the waiting room opened, his father was standing there, "You can go see Rachel, she is out of surgery, but they say she isn't awake yet."
(I am only picking ONE)
A Waiting Room
Joel stood up and began pacing. He looked around himself, it was a basic hospital waiting room. The old plastic chairs, the 3 year old magazines on broken down side tables. He hated this place, he had been here too many times in his life to ever like being here.
There was the time his twin brother, Justin, had climbed a tree to save a kitten, and the kitten had scratched at Justin. That causing Justin to pull back too quickly and he had gone flying out of the tree, hitting his head and getting knocked out. He was in the hospital for nearly a week, they were worried about brain damage, but fortunately, nothing had been damaged.
"Justin, remember the time you tried rescuing that kitten?"
"Actually, I remember very little about it. I just remember you crying over me in my bed!" Justin grinned
"I was not, that was mom and Julie. I kept trying to bring that kitten in, and they wouldn't let me."
"That cat was the devil, it was from hell, and it needed to go back to hell!"
Joel sat down on the falling apart chair, and nearly fell out of it, he was laughing so hard. "You never gave the cat a chance, he was sweet as could be."
"To you maybe, that stupid cat loved you, always finding a way into our room, would take a dump in my underwear drawer, then curl up in your bed as if nothing had happened!" Justin laughed and sat down in a chair similar to Joel's. Ugly as sin, puke green, and the stuffing coming out of it.
Why this hospital did not have a better waiting room was beyond him, it looked like it had been designed in the 40's and never had an update.
"Can you believe this waiting room? It looks like our grandparents were born here!" Justin asked
"Actually, I think Mom was born here," Joel replied "I remember Grandpa saying something about it one time. I think when Julie broke her arm, he and I were sitting here, and he looked at some magazine or something, and said it was the same magazine he read when Mom was born."
Justin coughed and laughed even harder, "Was it Popular Mechanics or a Better Homes and Garden?"
"No, I want to say it was either a Consumers Report or something like that, but who knows, I don't know what magazines they had in 1920." Joel grinned, because he knew if his mom had heard him say that year, she would have smacked him against the back of his head.
"Oh, be glad Mom didn't hear that!"
Just at that moment, their Mom came walking through the door. "Hear what?"
Justin and Joel stood up, Joel gave his Mom a hug, saying, "Oh, that Justin has a new boyfriend." Joel grinned at Justin.
"Are you still going on about that? That was just an embarrasing situation years ago, why you boys can't stop picking on each other, I will never understand. How is Rachel?"
"They aren't saying, and I haven't seen a nurse or a doctor since they sent us in here. And this place is crap, why haven't they updated in here? The entire hospital is beautiful except for this room! There isn't even a coffee station or anything!" Joel banged around and stomped around, taking his frustrations out on the waiting room. "If they are going to make me wait so long, they could at least have something decent here!"
Lola put her arm around Joel, "Honey, its okay, Dad is out there asking questions, you know he will get further than any of us ever would, why don't we go down to the cafeteria?"
"No, I want to be here when they finally tell me something about Rachel, Mom, it isn't fair, I finally found the girl of my dreams, and God wants to take her away from me."
"Joel Robert Magnus! I never want to hear you blaspheme again! You know very well God doesn't take away lives! He gives life, He is NOT and Indian Giver!"
The door to the waiting room opened, his father was standing there, "You can go see Rachel, she is out of surgery, but they say she isn't awake yet."
Writing Assignment One
http://www.my-creativeteam.com/blog/creativity-boost-3-dictionary-excursion/
Today, we’re heading to the dictionary for a creativity boost. Here’s what I want you to do:
You’re going to select six words and use them to write a story of less than 250 words. You will select your six words from:
page 52, 11th word down
page 111, 2nd word down
page 144, 1st word down
page 199, 9th word down
page 225, 12th word down
page 243, 6th word down
Now, that you have your six words, open the dictionary at random, close your eyes and select a word. That word will provide the subject of your story.
Use the first three words in your opening paragraph. The last three words may be sprinkled throughout the story.
(This is SO hard to do!! None of my words have anything to do with eachother, giving them cohesion is impossible!)
Subject word: Mosquito
angler, bartend, blind alley, canned, Chanukah, cincture
The Mosquito
Mike’s bar was down a blind alley that people usually associate with muggers and prostitutes. But anyone who stumbled across it, would be surprised. It’s an Irish Pub with hunting and fishing themes. Mike was an angler and fisherman on his weekends off. The bar was called The Mosquito, and Mke was not just the owner, but a bartenders too.
Mikes dad had started the bar when he was three, he loved fishing, drinking, and being married to Mikes mom. She was Jewish, and he called her his Jewish Princess. She delighted in all things Jewish, the holidays, the Torah, even the diet.
Usually on the very first day of Chanukah, Mike closed the bar and went fishing, while he hired a company to kosher clean the bar.
He got to the bar early that first morning, waiting for the cleaning company, finding his ex girlfriend waiting for him.
“Ihis is a surprise, didn’t expected to see you.”
“I know, I messed things up, I came to ask you a question.”
Mike lifted his eyebrows in question.
“I got fired from my job, and I am needing another job.”
“You? Canned? You are an accountant, what did you do, extortion?”
Miranda got a pained look on her face. “Do you really think that badly of me? No, its simply was last hired, first fired.”
“I’m sorry, I think I can let you do something.”
Mike smiled and opened his arms so he could cincture her in his arms.
Because it had to have a 250 word limit, the story sucks, I had a much better version, but it just was way too long!
Today, we’re heading to the dictionary for a creativity boost. Here’s what I want you to do:
You’re going to select six words and use them to write a story of less than 250 words. You will select your six words from:
page 52, 11th word down
page 111, 2nd word down
page 144, 1st word down
page 199, 9th word down
page 225, 12th word down
page 243, 6th word down
Now, that you have your six words, open the dictionary at random, close your eyes and select a word. That word will provide the subject of your story.
Use the first three words in your opening paragraph. The last three words may be sprinkled throughout the story.
(This is SO hard to do!! None of my words have anything to do with eachother, giving them cohesion is impossible!)
Subject word: Mosquito
angler, bartend, blind alley, canned, Chanukah, cincture
The Mosquito
Mike’s bar was down a blind alley that people usually associate with muggers and prostitutes. But anyone who stumbled across it, would be surprised. It’s an Irish Pub with hunting and fishing themes. Mike was an angler and fisherman on his weekends off. The bar was called The Mosquito, and Mke was not just the owner, but a bartenders too.
Mikes dad had started the bar when he was three, he loved fishing, drinking, and being married to Mikes mom. She was Jewish, and he called her his Jewish Princess. She delighted in all things Jewish, the holidays, the Torah, even the diet.
Usually on the very first day of Chanukah, Mike closed the bar and went fishing, while he hired a company to kosher clean the bar.
He got to the bar early that first morning, waiting for the cleaning company, finding his ex girlfriend waiting for him.
“Ihis is a surprise, didn’t expected to see you.”
“I know, I messed things up, I came to ask you a question.”
Mike lifted his eyebrows in question.
“I got fired from my job, and I am needing another job.”
“You? Canned? You are an accountant, what did you do, extortion?”
Miranda got a pained look on her face. “Do you really think that badly of me? No, its simply was last hired, first fired.”
“I’m sorry, I think I can let you do something.”
Mike smiled and opened his arms so he could cincture her in his arms.
Because it had to have a 250 word limit, the story sucks, I had a much better version, but it just was way too long!
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