The Reason for Living
I'm only twelve years old, but I know sadness and the fear of death very well. My grandfather has been smoking since he was a young teenager, and now he has a terrible 1 which makes it hard for him to breathe. Two weeks ago, he had an operation. The doctors thought that his days were numbered, but 2 he got better. He was taken off the machine that helped him breathe, but still he couldn't talk.
While my grandfather was in hospital, my mother and I flew to Pittsburgh to be with him. We were very 3 that we wouldn't see him again.
When we reached my grandfather's hospital room, I was surprised by his 4 He looked so weak. He was hardly able to even speak. Somehow though, he managed to say, "I... you."
"You what, Grandpa?" I asked. He didn't have the energy to answer me. He had used up all strength with those two words. "I... you."
The next morning my mother and had to leave. I kept wondering just what he had tried so hard to tell 5. It wasn't until I was back home in Georgia that I learned what he had tried to say.
A week after we returned home, my family received a phone call from one of the nurses in the hospital. She told us that my grandfather had said, "Call my granddaughter and tell her 'love'." At first I didn't understand why he would just say "love". Why not "I love you?" Then it 6 me. The day we were in the hospital he had been trying to say, "I love you." I was really touched.
After many weeks, my grandfather was finally able to talk. I began to call him every night. Normally he had to stop after about five minutes because he was too weak. No matter what, though, every time we 7 he would say, "I love you" and "I'd do anything for you". These, along with his moving words, "You're the only reason I live", are the best compliments(赞美)have ever received.
My grandfather is still very ill and I know we don't have much time. I feel very honored that he has 8 his feelings with me. I have learnt a lot from this experience. But the most important thing I've learned is that a simple "I love you" is really not simple. It's a reason for living.
