A Reason To Celebrate

"Whatever be the reason, at the end of the day, the fact that we have the courage enough to still be standing and fighting is a reason enough to celebrate."

Lightning struck and the roaring of the thunder boomed from one end of a corridor to another and sent the glass of the windows vibrating. Rain! It hadn't been long since it poured and here it was again. Streaks of lightning shot across the sky and the dark grey clouds hovered over the hospital. It was late in June, which means rain wasn't uncommon. I have loved the rain for as long as I could remember.
I have always been mesmerized by rainfall. I get lost in the sound and sight of the heavens washing away the dirt and dust of the world; Memories of running, splashing in such a carefree way as a child come pouring in as a welcome reprieve from the worries of my day. But somehow, this rain had a rustic gloom about it.
My father had complained about a headache a few months earlier. He had joked about getting glasses for his migraines, but only then had he discovered the splitting pain wasn't from migraine, but a tumor growing precociously in his brain. He had undergone one surgery already, but the tumor had grown back, so here we are again in the hospital, waiting for Dad to come out of the O.T. The doctors had made sure to tell us to prepare ourselves.
Our Mom, a religious catholic, refused to give up. She said that we should be grateful for what we are given. She believes that we should be thankful and celebrate the fact that Dad had survived this long with a life-threatening tumor. Gratitude, appreciation, giving thanks. No matter what word you use, it all means the same thing-happy. We are a happy family. Happy just to be alive. But what is the point of celebrating something when you know that your happiness bodes ill?
My six year old sister stood beside me, her hand carefully placed within mine. She rushed to the big glass doors of the hospital and stared at the resplendent view, every detail of it delighted her; the raindrops, the puddles on the concrete, the sound of rain against the roof.
“Jamie, couldn’t we go out and play?” Claire asks, her voice breaking into my trance.
“Not now, you’ll get wet,” I say tersely.
“But that’s not what Mom said in the morning,” she said, extending her arm forward into
the rain.
 
“What did she say?” I ask, turning to her,” that we can play in the rain and not get wet?”
 
“No. She was talking about Daddy’s tumor when she said that if God can get us through this, God can get us through anything. So He can get us through a little rain, right?”
 
And with that, she stepped outside, jumping from puddle to puddle, admiring the mess she was creating. This little comment took me at surprise. I stepped out in the rain, and followed my sister as she tore off across the hospital lawns. I watched her, and thought; maybe we are not supposed to be happy. Maybe gratitude has nothing to do with joy. Maybe it means recognizing what you have for what it is. Appreciating small victories and moments. Admiring the struggle it takes to simply be human. Maybe we are thankful for the things we want to know. Maybe we are thankful for the things we’ll never know. Whatever it is, at the end of the day, the fact that we have the courage enough to still be standing and fighting is a reason enough to celebrate.

Author's Note

Ending monologue is inspired from ABC production's Grey's Anatomy franchise. Credits goes to Shonda Rhimes.

Reviews

[Jane P.]

OH MY GOD! Sorry, I just read your profile and you're only 13?! Girl, you are seriously talented! Keep writing, because one day I'll be buying your book :)

[Skye]

Yeah,I' only thirteen, and I have been writing for a while now. Thank you so much for your comments! I'll make sure to correct those sentences. (:

[Jane P.]

You have a lovely writing style and the descriptive imagery used in this piece is very detailed and sophisticated. I really enjoyed the voice of your protagonist and sombre tone. You have established a clear pace which really benefits the reader!
Some grammatical things:
- ". But somehow..." "But" should not start a sentence, as it is a coordinating conjunction (used to bridge two sentences together, and commonly used after a comma). However, the word "However" would be highly appropriate. Also, make sure you place a comma directly after it.
- "getting glasses for migrain" The word "his" should be places before migrain and migrain should be uses in its plural form (migrains).
- "The doctors hadmade" easy mistake, just put a space between had and made.
- "what we gave" should be "what we have" or "what we are given"
- "That we should be thankful" You need to change this to "She believes that we should be thankful"
Sorry, these are only a few examples, but if you really wanted to improve your sentence structure I would suggest reading your work aloud. It can really make a difference.
Don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed your story and it was a pleasure to read. I think you are very talented and can't wait to read more of your work!!