My experiences of death and grief have been numerous involving pets, family members, friends, classmates, and members of my school and of my religious communities. The grief I experienced differed depending on the relationship I had with the person who died and the circumstances surrounding their death. My faith and belief in an afterlife comforts me knowing that they have gone to a better place and that I will see them again one day. Say no to plagiarism. Get a custom essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay My first experience of death other than that of a pet occurred in middle school when a boy, Jacob, who was two years younger than me, committed suicide on a Friday afternoon. It was a shock to the whole school community and we didn't really know how to react at first. The teachers also had difficulty with this. We all attended the funeral in the days that followed, and I remember counselors coming from high schools and Catholic Charities to meet with us in large groups and individually. Their presence at the school really helped the teachers and those who were dealing with the sadness of Jacob's suicide. My second and third death experiences were the result of losing two close family members within a few years. I lost my uncle, Dan, quite suddenly to liver failure. He was only 49 years old. I was able to visit him in the hospital the days before, but when he was on the verge of death, my mother made the decision not to have me again. It was difficult for me, because I wanted to say goodbye to him. She told me later that she thought it would be too difficult for me to see him in the state he was in. I could have handled the grief of losing my uncle better if I had been given the chance to say goodbye to him during his final days. A few years later, my grandmother, Barbara, died from complications of Alzheimer's disease. I lived in a multi-generational extended family for the first eight years of my life with my uncle and grandmother living with Mom and me. Experiencing my childhood with those who have now passed created a close bond and a great impact on me. when they died. I mourned my uncle, but after the funeral, my mourning ended. I realized he was in a better place. It was different with my grandmother. It's been several years since she passed away and I still grieve from time to time when I see things that remind me of her and our relationship. During my college years, I experienced episodes of grief following life changes such as moving for college, death of a classmate, loss of a pet, and broken relationships. The excitement of college was amazing the first few months, finding new friends, living in the dorms, and having the freedom to do what I loved. However, just a few months in, my boyfriend of three years broke up with me. I was crushed. It has affected every aspect of my life. I felt a great sadness which sometimes invaded me and then disappeared. I was grieving for the future I had planned. I ended up devoting myself to school and my grief and sense of loss lessened. Then came the suicide of a classmate I had known in elementary school. We weren't close friends, but we both loved athletics and often talked and supported each other at high school events. The funeral was sad and it seemed a great loss for this talented young man with his whole life ahead of him.,.