Essays / Essay on my hero, my dad who went to the army [2]

Ann Caroline Harrell
Mrs. Blair
Honors English 1
5 March 2013

My Hero

My dad is not only a hero, but a father figure as well. He is my hero for many reasons, some of which no one will understand but me. My dad has taught me not only kindness and devotion, but loyalty as well.

My dad did one thing that changed my life for a year, something I did not wish for him to do, but something he felt compelled to do. He withdrew from his life in West Point to take on the role of being a soldier for the National Guard. He knew that it would trouble us, but he always said "do not cry over spilled milk," and that a year would move by fast. My dad never forgot his true role to be a father, he never once failed to remember that we were still in his life or to forget the pain we were suffering from for his soon to be absence. He tried to make his little time with us as valuable as he could by throwing the ball or watching movies as a family.

The day he left brought many tears to the eyes of the ones he loved, including me. We knew that it would be a long and hard year but we also knew we could get through it. We had to have devotion through this struggle, to still be a family and stick together. We would get letters and small gifts in the mail and videos of him talking about his adventure so far. Loyalty to stay in contact was hard, but we managed to do it. We would Skype every other day and sometimes get a phone call from him. I never quite knew what he did during the days because he could not tell us, I knew that he could not because it was one of the rules in the military, but I also knew he did not want to trouble us.

While my dad was gone my family and I went through hard times. Many days we thought we could not handle this anymore or that we would not make it without our dad. But he would remind us just a few more months. My friends and relatives were very nice toward us while he was away, especially Sydney. She was very supportive and would always get my mind off of things. One day I was tired of people asking me about my dad and I got upset and yelled at one of my best friends, I realized later on that I upset her. I apologized to her because my dad taught me to be kind, not mean, and I did not want to loose my best friend too.

Although my dad was gone, we managed to get through the year. Everything my dad taught me I used in everyday situations with my friends and family. My dad is a hero not only for being a soldier, but for being the best dad I could ask for.

tell me if anything needs to be corrected

Writing Feedback / My Moms' Most Significant Memory; Narrative on a significant memory [3]

My Moms' Most Significant Memory

I asked my mom about her most significant memory, of course it was about her children. Tonya said that each kid has brought new meaning into her life, another reason to carry out each day, another thing to love, and another friend. Each kid is special in his or her own way, different levels of patience and personality. My mom said she has learned so much more than she would have ever thought to have learned from her kids like, endurance, value of life, laughter, true love, the simple things in life, and to never take a day for granted. She learned to never take a day for granted when her son almost died in a car wreck. The car was totaled and they had to use the jaws of life to retrieve William, if he wouldn't have been in her car there was a possibility that he could not have survived the car crash, this is why Tonya never takes a day for granted. Her oldest son, Robert, has taught her to never judge a person by their looks, she says that Robert has never been judgemental toward anyone or anything. Robert came home with a tattoo one day and Tonya was extremely upset with him, but after a while, it doesn't matter about what they look like, it's about their personality and who they truly are on the inside. Her second oldest, James, has taught her patience, something that he himself needs to learn. James is a minature father to his younger sister and is a spitting image of his own father. His father is just as impatient as James and you have to have patience with an impatient person. Her second youngest, Samuel, has taught her the simple things in life. Samuel everyday goes to his woodshop for three or so hours to just enjoy life and to get away from everything going on in the world. Her youngest and only daughter, Ann Caroline, has taught her to just smile and laugh at the mistakes in life. Ann Caroline has always been so full of life and laughter, she is easy going and always cheerful. All five of her kids have taught her the meaning of true love and how to look through each kids perspective and to never judge.

I want to know if this sounds ok and if i should add or take away words or if i should change anything.