Example Of My Favorite Memory Essay

This memory serves more than just being a reminder of a great story to tell my grandchildren one day; the gift of the experience was the forging of friendships that would last a lifetime. In addition, my life’s path was made clear to me; I found a passion that had probably changed the trajectory of my life. My birthday is my favorite time of the year as it is the day set aside to celebrate my life and of course all the gifts one receives. One year my birthday was made all the more special. The events leading up to my twelfth birthday may have started out ominously, but that year was cause for a double celebration.
I remember the day it happened all so clearly. The sky was crystal blue, the sunlight almost blinding. Daryl and I were returning home from the movie theater. After a sleepless night we stood in the snake long queue outside the movie theater to see Transformer. The movie had lived up to expectation and we were buoyed with excitement long after the last credit rolled. We made our way over to my house talking animatedly about our favorite parts of the movie, amusing the passersby with our antics. There was hardly any activity on the usually busy street. Reminiscing on that day brings on a surreal like quality. I heard the screeching of wheels before I saw the car careering around the corner. Out of the corner of my eye I spotted a blurred shape run across the street. My heart thundered and I felt the sharp sting of fear the split second before the dog and car made contact. The driver did not stop. Daryl and I raced over to where the dog lay bleeding, whimpering faintly; mercifully alive. Daryl looked as if he was about to lose the contents of his stomach on the sidewalk, but I just about kept it together. There was no tag on the dog and no one had come chasing after him. It was the pain in his eyes that had me spring into action so I ran over to the nearest house looking for help.
She was standing at the reception counter at the animal hospital helping an elderly couple fill in some forms. Her dark hair was tied back in a ponytail allowing unrestricted view of her smile as she nodded in understanding. She seemed so poised and confident in handling trauma for her youthful age. It was probably this that had me in awe of her. She noticed the dog in my arms before she looked at me. Daryl and I had not said a word; she summed up what had happened from just a glance. I felt him lifted from my arms and then he disappeared into a restricted area. Not knowing what else to do, Daryl and I took a seat on the multi-colored plastic chairs in the waiting room. Skye, we later learned that was her name, returned to assure us that the Flynn (Daryl and I later named him) was in good hands and we were not to worry. We left the hospital with Skye promising to keep us updated. I inadvertently developed a responsibility for him. No one had come to claim him and there were no reports of a lost dog anywhere. I visited the hospital every day, checking up on Flynn. He had at first refused to eat after the surgery. It was after I had begun to sit with him, stroking his fur gently and singing nursery rhymes from my childhood that he was coaxed into eating again. I was careful in remembering to sing under my breath so that Skye would not hear me, but I got a feeling that nothing really escaped her notice.
After my visits to Flynn, I’d stay longer at the hospital helping out. I’d visit some of the other patients in the hospital, helping Skye to feed them or just sit with them. While there I felt an immense sense of peace. The trauma of seeing the injured no longer overwhelmed me. Skye and I developed a strong and deep friendship over time. She taught me to believe in the strength that was in me and helped me see my natural affinity to help heal those in pain. It was a gift that was to change my life in remarkable ways.
I later learned that it was Skye’s father who had taken care of Flynn. He was chief veterinarian at the hospital. He was the male and older version of Skye. Seeing both father and daughter comfort and care for distressed animals with such love inspired me to want to dedicate my life to the same cause. I knew that I wanted to be a voice for the voiceless. The other strong bond of friendship that was forged was that of me and Flynn. As no one had claimed him, he got to come home with me. No other birthday has as yet surpassed my twelfth in the gifts bestowed of friendship and love, and so it remains my unparalleled favorite memory in the annals of my life to be told often.