Artifact 2

Cheryl Hoskinson
COMM 111
Instructor Susanna Weinstein
Tribute Speech
August 21, 2014

To Die Before Your Time

Death is such a great pill to swallow. (personification), Some people die and you know
that the end is coming. My grandfather died on my 21st birthday and my parents still came to
Monmouth to celebrate my birthday with me. My grandfather had suffered for so long that it was
a blessing when he died because he was no longer in pain. My family had time to brace
themselves for his passing, however; when Sierra died my family had no idea that this tragedy
would rock our world. (metaphor)
There are three main points I would like to say today about my dear niece Sierra. Even
though Sierra lived only for a short she blessed our world with her presence. Secondly, in her
passing, she helped us to deal with death correctly and finally, she left a legacy in which she
became even more influential after she died much like Edgar Allan Poe.
Much like a firefly whose light brightens the night sky; Sierra lit up the lives she touched
if only for a short while. Sierra, much like my brother, only spoke when she had something to
say. She had a very big heart. She had a personality that was like a magnet in that it drew people
towards her. She had a great sense of humor that touched people around her. There was an
instance when she was in a crowd of people and this one girl was being picked on and she took
the girls hand and told her that she would be her friend. I have been told recently of another
instance when she and a girl named Ally would take the time to listen to this girl named Erikas
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stories even though it might only have been a five- minute story it would take Erika a half-hour
to tell it. Sierra had a way of just touching the lives of the people around her.
Then tragedy struck on February 1st 2012, my niece was gone. That was the night my
family learned how to handle death first hand. My familys lives were turned upside down to
never be the same again. She taught us all in her passing how to rely on one another. We had to
depend on one another for support and comfort. My brother who found her had to find out how
strong he truly was and how to hold up after the loss of his precious daughter. My brother and
sister-in-law learned that in Sierras passing that life does go on, and they found a stronger faith
in God and with his help they were able to make it through the rough times that comes, when we
loss someone suddenly, who is near and dear to us. The family also learned that sometimes in a
grieving period that it is just alright to be surrounded by people who are there just there. Nothing
needs to be said.
Finally, Sierras spirit still lives on in those people who knew her. Sierra believed in God
and now that she has left to go to heaven. My whole family has to come to believe in God and is
now going to church on a regular basis. Many people who saw what Sierra had in her life want it
as well. They have recently come to accept Jesus into their lives. Even her down syndrome
knows that Sierra still lives on in spirit because he wants his brother and sister to have another
Sierra.
In the small world that we live in I have met many a person who knew Sierra or had
heard her story. I hope that in closing if you ever lose someone dear to you that you will
remember the mark that they had on your life, that sometimes the best thing to do in a grieving
period is just to be there, and finally, that death is not the end for I will meet Sierra when I depart
this world and go to heaven.