Brainstorming my Digital Story

1.  Describe a positive scene from childhood.
When I was younger, my aunt was always the one who took me Trick-or-Treating.  At seven, my cousin was born and she started joining us, as did my uncle.  One year, we decided to do a group costume.  My aunt, cousin, and I dressed as the Three Little Pigs.  My uncle was the big bad wolf.  Each time we drove to a new house, my aunt, cousin, and I would get out and run to the door, pounding and begging to be let in.  A couple minutes later, my uncle would show up, doing his "I'll huff and I'll puff and I'll blow your house in" thing.  We were a hit, and the people we visited had fun trying to figure out who we were (we wore masks).  With halloween coming up, I thought back on all of the times and memories I have from this night, and this one is probably my favorite.

2.  Describe a negative scene from childhood.
My grandfather had one of those big, old fashioned tractors.  Actually, he had two.  One evening in the summer, my grandfather was getting ready to put the tractor away after plowing the garden.  He would always let me sit on his lap while he drove, and while he was parked in the yard, I ran to climb on.  Except, I climbed up the wrong side.  There was a pipe that stands on the other side, I honestly don't know what it is used for.  While trying to climb up, I grabbed this pipe to pull myself up... and burnt my hand.  It was really hot, and as a result, I got second-degree burns from grabbing it.  I don't remember much about the race to the emergency room or what happened afterwards.  They gave me a cream and wrapped my hand and I went home, but it's a story my family would tell often for years to come.

5.  Identify particular "turning points".
When I was a senior in high school, my grandfather died.  This would be tragic for anyone, but for me it was especially devastating.  Because my father had been absent, and my mother was struggling to provide for us, I had been partially raised by my grandparents.  For five years of my life, I even lived with them.  My grandfather was always a father figure to me, and so him getting sick was the hardest thing I've ever dealt with in my life.  This is a turning point for me in a number of ways.  For one, I learned how my family and I would begin to live without someone who was incredibly important in our lives.  As my grandmother says, we never realized how much he did until he wasn't around any longer to do them.  In another, I found out how strong I could be.  When my grandfather died, I was the one who held it together while everyone else fell apart.  I helped my mom and my grandfather.  I made the necessary phone calls.  It was a lot at the time, especially after the months of taking care of him and the long nights spent sleeping in hospital waiting rooms.  This changed a lot in my life, as it did for my family.