This assignment was to write a descriptive essay by observing nature. The week this assignment was given out I lost a very good friend, Michael McKinney. I will never forget the night I heard that he passed away. Everything thing I did that weekend reminded me of him, so it only seemed right to write my descriptive essay in memory of Michael and how he touched the lives of every person he met. He was and will always be my HERO.
Light Shines Down on the Disease That Kills
Sparkling streams of transparent thread flow back and forth from leaf to leaf glowing in the sunlight and in the middle lays a black and yellow body with eight legs extending across the radiant lattice. Next to it, a twisted ball tangled in the web is shaking violently, trying to break free. The quivering ball began to calm. Slowly the shaking became a subtle twitch. The black and yellow creature crept forward, drawing itself closer and closer to the shimmering object. Suddenly it threw itself on top of the frightened mass and injected it with venom causing it to stop moving and lay helplessly, floating with the streams of thread in the wind. As I watched I became fascinated, fascinated with how this bizarre experience reminded me of a friend stricken with disease that gradually sucked away his life.
It was the fall of 2007. It has been a year since my friend was diagnosed with leukemia. The moment his family received the terrifying news their lives changed forever. After the first months of chemo and multiple surgeries, they thought the cancer was gone, but it wasn’t. One morning he woke up with no sight in one eye; it was a sudden nightmare coming to life. His mom rushed him to the hospital where they admitted him and ran several tests. After days of testing and hours of waiting, they received news that no one ever expected to hear. His leukemia had returned. His second fight for life was about to begin and “whoever said winning isn’t everything, never had to fight cancer.” Each day was a struggle, doctor’s visits, riding back and forth to Chapel Hill, and the strenuous side effects of the chemo, but if there was any kid out there that would take this challenge with a smile it was Michael. Even in his darkest, most painful hours he had that contagious grin on his face. It was the biggest, wide-eyed smile you could ever imagine and you couldn’t help but look at him and smile back. There wasn’t a person out there that knew him and didn’t like him. As I sat on my porch, thinking about Michael, I watched the black creature crawl about in the luminous streams. I closed my eyes attempting to soak in the warm sunlight but a tiny, irritating mosquito began to fly around me. It was an annoying little thing, buzzing in my ear, trying to get a taste of my skin. I waved my hand back and forth trying to kill it or simply strike it away from me. I watched it fly towards the transparent maze, and then it stopped. It became the spider’s next victim, tangled in the sticky strings between the leaves. This time I moved closer, hoping to get a better look at the spider and its vicious attack. It wrapped the mosquito with its shiny strings, as if it were trying to suffocate it. I couldn’t understand why it would want to harm such a little innocent creature, but then it hit me that I tried to do the same. All along I thought this spider was a bully, harming blameless creatures, but it was simply trying to help me. Amazed at what I had realized, I stepped back and stared into my back yard. The scent of fresh flowers filled the air. Enormous pine trees covered with sap were scattered about. Birds, perched on their branches, sang sweet songs as if they were trying to comfort me, and even a fuzzy squirrel sat in awe of the gorgeous surroundings. I thought to myself, “How could I ever have thought so horribly of the spider? I wonder what other little things I have simply overlooked. How beautiful our yard looks, so full of life and color.” It’s amazing how one little creature can change your perspective of life itself. Life is a beautiful thing that should never be taken for granted. There are a few that we might think are unlucky, like Michael and the mosquito, to have a life stricken with disease and suffering, but they are truly the lucky ones. They appreciate each day that God gives them on this earth and smile knowing that life itself is a blessing.
I leaned back in my chair, closed my eyes, and pondered on life’s little blessings. As I opened my eyes and looked up into the pure blue sky, I couldn’t help but wonder what Michael might be doing. Then, as the sun cast down its vibrant rays upon my face, warming my heart, I began to laugh because I knew exactly what Michael was doing. He was sitting there cracking jokes with God and smiling down on us, because he could see that he touched the life of every person he met.
“I remember the last time I saw you.
You held your head up proud.
I laughed inside when I saw how you wereStanding out in the crowd.
When I tried to make sense of it in my mind,
The only conclusion that I could come to,Is heaven was needing a hero,
Like you.”
–Jo Dee Messina
