When I was in elementary school and later in high school my grandmother stayed with us. At the time of her death (when I lived in Bowling Green, FL and attended high school) she passed away in a home for the aged in Jacksonville, FL. When she died, I took the news very much in stride–perhaps some would say too much in stride. Many people have fond memories of their grandmother “spoiling them” in many ways. My grandmother was seriously disabled and could not do such things as baking cookies and the like that would no doubt have contributed to a closer bonding. In any case, when my grandmother died I found that life goes on–that frankly was my response.
Regarding lessons learned “about yourself,” I often consider the regular literary theme of young people spreading their wings in order to leave home, explore the world, and to learn its hard lessons. The most important lessons divined from such adventures are time and again not about the world at all, but about the revelations such youths confront about themselves–lessons that can only be learned by individuals coming face to face with the pressures of the world. Such characters commonly elicit the viewer’s laughter, empathy, and tears.
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