Epiphany Essay

Life is beautiful. No matter how polluted the world may be, at the end of the day, it only takes one glance at the brilliant stars in the night sky to realize how incredibly blessed I am. I feel goose bumps on my body as the chilly wind passes me by and I shiver with delight. There is every single reason to smile: For one, I am privileged with vision to perceive the dazzle of the cosmos, and secondly, the hot and uncomfortable summer ambiance has gone, having been replaced by the cool October darkness.
Everybody's life story is different. The struggles that I endure on a day-to-day basis, the exhilaration and exuberance that pulsates through my veins, the salty tears that falls from the corners of my eyes...it is all too familiar. It only took six years to fully understand and appreciate the fragility of life.
Ten years ago, liver cancer robbed me of somebody so dear to my heart. My parents were too busy fighting and blaming one another for their mistakes to pay any attention to me. Luckily, the Heavens blessed me with an angel to fill my gaps of solitude with an unconditional love and patience. She was my grandmother. I never knew about her sickness until after her death. I could not fathom how the beautiful and radiating glow vanished from her eyes and why she was no longer there on the other side of the bed to protect me in my slumber. My grandmother taught me one of life's most important and overlooked lessons: never take anything for granted. With this life lesson and my love and regard for her, I am determined to never relinquish my dreams and hopes for the future.
After her demise, my family and I left Dubai to begin a new life in Kenya. We settled in a humble apartment and gradually became close friends with our neighbors. I made several new friends of my own and the summer days consisted of countless sleepovers and swimming in an enormous pool. I was a free spirit.
Alas, September rolled around, thus, I began the first grade. I was a complete outsider....