The room was dark when my aunt came in the room to wake me and my cousin. It was about 10:00 am and i didn’t want to get up. I forced myself out of bed and began rummeging throung my suitcase. All the colors of clothing seemed to have life and seemed to exprees hapiness and joy. Today however was not a day for that. As i kept looking i came across a black pair of pants and a black long sleve shirt. I had my hair down with a small braid to the side. I looked at myself in the mirror and wondered to myself; what would it be like if i knew the exact time i would die, would i spend the time i had difffrently then if i hadent known? As i heard my mothers voice call us downstairs, me and my cousin Valerie walked down the stairs together. When we reached the bottom we saw the same thing. Everyone standing, waiting, ready to leave. Every single person in black staring without any emotion in their face but in their eyes you could see sorrow. I counted, 7, 8, 9… people but it wasn’t enough. we walked out of the house and the sky was dark. The clouds draped over the sky to cover any happiness. Outside there were two long black cars and we all climbed in one by one. During the drive i counted cars to keep my mind occupied. To try to keep my self from remembering what today was.

The drive was silent and it wasn’t long before we reached the church. We stopped directly outside the front doors and i waited for everyone to get out of the cars before i did. We walked up the cement stairs and i could see some people standing around conversing with one another.I walked through the first set of doors and from the corner of my eye i could see the small wooden box propped open.I couldn’t help my self to look. There, the girl that was driving that night, layed there lifeless. As much as i would like to say she looked as though she was at peace, she didnt. I cant bring myself to look away but at the same time i try because it hurts to see her like that. I could see the bruses and scars underneath the makeup as they tried to hide it. You could tell it was her although her featurs had shifted. I know its her body, but she herself is gone. Then i felt regret,i knew i wanted to remember her for who she was and what she looked like. I didn’t want to remember her like this. My eyes began to fill with water and i quickly looked away to keep my self from crying. I looked over and i could see her name written on a poster with her date of birth and death. I didn’t want to stand here any longer so i moved.

I walked through the second set of doors and down the asile into the front row pews and waited in silence as i heard small mumers echoing throughout the room. It got louder as more people arrived. Soon the room was full of people. Old friends, new friends, other family, they were all there but it felt as though it was me and my family. The family had read letters they has written to her and we all sat there silenced, praying and crying. They brought the casket down to the front where everyone could see and they blessed her. The priest walked up to the microphone and asked “if the Turgeon Family could foller her out”. It took me a few seconds for me to relize that he was talking to me. I got up with shaky legs and tears down my face. I relized that each step we took was a step sooner to never seeing her again. I wished i could of stopped then maybe everyone else would to. We could all stand there and we would all be waiting. As i walked i hung my head to hide my tears from the people that were looking. I felt somewhat ashamed to be seen crying by so many people i didnt know, but i had a reason. I raised my head to see if i knew anyone and i saw my family walking with me, a few people i had met during my visit but they were all crying. They were all felling the same pain as us. We were all here for the same reason.

As we stopped outside we were all think the same thing. Why? i didn’t understand. when i tried to It was hard for me. I didn’t want to understand. Suddenly i felt angry. Why did she have to die. What good did it do for any of us. I was so angry i wanted to scream and yell at everyone but just then i felt a hand. My cousin Valerie stood next to me holding my hand as we watched them load her into the car. We looked at each other both crying. She looked just as terrified as i did and we both wondered what now? What happens next?

Elizabeth Turgeon died on December 24 2010 and to this day,when ever i think about it i cry. I lost my cousin when i was 14 and losing someone is the hardest thing anyone will live through. Memories are all we have left and they fade more and more with each day and its hard to hold on. Its a hard thing to do but i know i need to let her go but i haven’t had the strength to do it yet. I know that i will always remember her and who she was. I will always hold her in my life as i move forward and live mine.

Too young to be, yet is. Careless with no regrets, the one with the beautiful smile and milky white skin, Bright eyes open to the world, Hair that glistens in the sunlight, flowing alongside the tangled grass in the wind that whispers the secrets of the world. She stands and listens to the world waiting patiently for the sun to sleep and to turn off the lights in the world. Young and free for a moment she wishes it could stay like this. All at once the world is still. The grass no longer sways and her hair no longer flows. The sun still and the wind quite with no secrets to whisper. Yet her hair still glistens in the light of the world. The world still as if time had stopped forever. One moment, not even a second, frozen forever in a bright white flash. Trapped in a box to remember and cherish that one moment.

Some eyes see nothing other then what it shows, others see it all. They see all the sorrow, pain, love, happiness, need and regret. All the smiles, tears and the laughter frozen in that moment and though you can’t see it, it is true. She is that memory, she is that moment. I know not who she is or how she came to be. All I know is she stands there in that moment frozen, never moving forward. Trapped in time and only she knows how that moment felt. For now, she is frozen in time along with the world in a moment that can never fade in that photograph.

There is a great deal of things one person can do to make a change in the world. As Gandhi once said “you have to be the change you want to see in the world”. To be successful in doing so, Gandhi, spent many of his years fighting for what he wanted and what he believed in. He did what he felt was necessary to help the lives of others, no matter what the consequences. He changed the lives of countless people and illustrated to them that even one small person can make a huge difference.

Ghandi committed most of his life to help change the lives of others. For one person to make that big of a difference would take time and Ghandi was willing to do so. Many other people in the world have dedicated their life to help those of less fortune then themselves. A life filled with selfless acts to live and die the life of a hero and to have their legacy live on forever.

To make a change you must do things that others would not dare to do, rise above higher powers to show rebellion and never fear the consequences that lie ahead. Ghandi did many things to help enforce the change he has set apoun our world today. He pioneered Satyagraha to show resistance to Tyranny, held leadership of the Indian National Congress in 1921 and lead nationwide campaigns, all to help make a change. No matter who you are, everyone can make a difference, even in the smallest acts of leadership.

When someone dedicates their life to something they believe in, they make a change. They take a stand to those who rise above them, and they change countless lives. Ghandi successfully changed the collective identity of an entire country. His ideas helped accommodate India in gaining its independence and motivation for freedom and rights all over the world. He lead campaigns that where nationwide to expand women’s rights, ease poverty, build religious and ethnic amity, end the idea of “untouchability” and increase economic self-reliance. One person effected decisions globally, one person changed history.

Anyone can change the world, with the right attitude, a strong passion, and a smile; you can go a long way. Even the smallest impact can gradually turn into something that affects the world. Being the change you want to see in the world won’t be easy but it’s worth it in the end, because you’re not only changing the lives of others, your changing your life as well. A true leader with a selfless goal to change the world will live and die a hero who others may learn from and live to help make a change.