A Facebook friend of mine made a funny status post not too long ago that read: “I can’t remember how many times my grandma died when I was in college.”

Of course, he was referring to the excuses he made to skip class, but it’s no joking matter when an actual death occurs in the family, which happened to me last week.

In this case, it wasn’t one of my grandparents from natural causes; it was one of my aunts who died of cancer. She was diagnosed at the start of the year, and it was something that was usually on my mind. The impact of it all didn’t really hit me until I got the call from my mother bearing the bad news.

My aunt was on my father’s side of the family so we didn’t have to travel far for the funeral proceedings, but I feel for those whose relatives do not live close by.

I was also thankful for my professors, who understood the reason for my absence. One of my classes had a test scheduled, and I was allowed to take it when I got back.

If you’ve ever been to a funeral, you know how the usual arrangements are made. Typically there is a visitation, along with a rosary the night before the burial. The visitation was in the afternoon, which was when my parents and brother attended. Since it was on a weekday, when everyone is usually at work, we were the only family members there.

Entering the room where the open casket lay, my feelings of grief and sorrow started to weigh in. The body exhibits a strange reaction when you swear that you can almost see the body appear to be breathing, especially since it’s made to look asleep.

Looking down at my aunt, I started to think about how she wasn’t going to be there during our family Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays and how it was going to affect my widowed uncle, along with their son, my cousin.

At the same time, it made me think about her laugh and how she loved to play cards. Something else that popped into my mind was her love for the book “Charlotte’s Web,” which she caught me reading when I was in grade school.

The funeral itself was a difficult experience, since I’m not accustomed to a church setting. I also share the same emotional state my mother goes through, but have learned to keep the stern look of my father. I must say that I kept it up pretty well, but what really got me was when a 90-year-old relative of mine told me, “I grieve for your loss.”

I had a discussion with him and my other relatives about what I was doing in school and that I had a girlfriend. That helped to lighten the situation. I later met up with my uncle and cousin, whose composure was a lot stronger than I thought it would be, and gave them condolences.  I let my cousin know that we’re there for him in case he needed us and I know he greatly appreciated that.

Dealing with a death in the family during your college career is a varying occurrence, whether it’s natural or tragic, but hopefully this story has let you know that you’re not alone and that everyone will understand if you have to take the day off to pay your respects. Hopefully you have dear friends and family who can help you through this time, as do I, including readers like you.