What She Did For Me.( Final Draft)

It was Monday, July 9,2001 and I was awakened by the sound of my cousins quivering voice. "Wake up, I have to tell you something" is what she said to us as my cousin and I struggled to wake up on this early Monday morning. We had no idea what she was about to tell us....... " Don't ever give up, always believe in yourself , and always be confident". My aunt often spoke these words to me and is the motto by which she lived. She was the one in my family who gave me and my cousins lectures and taught us the rights and wrongs of everyday life. She taught us how to behave in school and prepared us for what we would one day face as we continued to grow. Every year during the holidays, my cousins and I would go to her house and she would sit us down and have face to face conversations with us. If one of us messed up in school, she would remind us of the importance of education, if we got in trouble with our parents, she would teach us the meaning of respecting our elders, or if she just felt like giving us advice, she would remind us of how she would always be there. My cousins and I often complained when she gave us lectures and before she even opened her mouth, we knew what was about to happened. We knew that it was time to stop whatever we were doing and listen to what she had to say because somehow, someway, her advice would help us along the way. She was very much a believer in being confident and she made sure to instill this value in me at a very young age. When I was in the 5th grade, I was chosen to recite a speech for my eighth grade graduation. At practice, mt teacher told us that there was an essay writing contest open to anyone who wanted to participate and that the best essay would be selected. I hadn't planned on participating but I went home and told my aunt about it anyway. She forced me to write an essay and mine was chosen as one of the best. Lucky for me, I had to say the speech in front of my entire graduating class, parents, and teachers. I was so nervous because I never had to do anything like this before. She told me not to worry and said that I could do it. The day was finally here and I was ready to make my speech and get it over with. My aunt got sick on that day so she couldn't make it. However, I knew what I had to do regardless of who was in the audience. I looked around and saw all eyes on me. To my surprise, I wasn't as nervous as I thought I would be. "Good morning teachers,parents,faculty,and fellow students" were the first words that came out of my mouth and from that moment on, I knew that everything would be okay. I received a standing ovation and gained the confidence that I will take with me for the rest of my life. She knew how afraid I was but she used that as further motivation to push me even harder. I may not have understood what she was trying to teach me when I was younger, but now I realize just how much I needed to hear what she was saying. Now that I'm older, I can appreciate all that she has showed me and as I continue to grow, I will do my best to live my life the way she taught me....... Once me and my cousin finally got ourselves together, my other cousin moved closer to us and told us that my aunt had passed away. After she told me, I didn't cry. In fact, I really didn't know how to react. It took me a while but once I finally accepted the fact that she was gone, I was able to be strong because I remembered all that she had told me and when I think about her now, I don't get sad, and I don't become angry. Instead, I remember , appreciate,and realize just how much of an impact she had and will always have on me. I am the person I am today partially because of what she has taught me and is someone that I will remember for as long as I live. I am gratefeul for what she did for me.

1.The first sentence made me question or be interested by where the story was going because of her cousins quivering voice.

2. Don't ever give up, always believe in yourself, and always be confident". My aunt often spoke these words to me and is the motto by which she lived. This was my favorite line because this line proved that not only did this woman have an impact on Courtney but a positive one.

3. She was very much a believer in being confident and she made sure to instill that value in me at a very young age.

4. The part that could have a little more detail was her actual speech and the feelings she had while presenting the speech.

5. Yes, I feel she had a very good ending. The way she told what her aunt provided to her as a child with her lectures and then wrapped up her story with the day she found out about her death was very good.

6. What was clever about the ending was how she went back to the beginning which was the day she found out about the death of her aunt.