7. My Family

My family is one of the most important things in my life. I’m concerned about not only the family I have now, but also my family of the past and the family I will have in the future. I’m trying to prepare as best as I can to raise and teach children, and developing skills so I can provide for them physically, spiritually, and emotionally.

I love learning about those who have gone before. I recently got a copy of my Grandma Ann’s journals and have been reading them; they’re so interesting. I love reading words she wrote to my Grandpa Max when he was stationed in the Pacific during WWII, the descriptions of family gatherings, the stories from my father’s childhood. I enjoy looking at the pictures of her mother, grandmother, great-grandparents and seeing their physical features in the faces of my family members.

I enjoy spending time with my family, immediate and extended. We work, play, laugh, cry, love and experience life together, both the good and the bad. I know that they care about me and my well-being as much as I care about theirs. As the ads
say, family is about time.

A year and a half ago my Grandpa Max went into the hospital. I visited him several times there and then nearly every other week after he was transferred to an assisted living facility. He died in September, and I was sad and cried, but I felt that I had been so blessed to be near him those months. I treasure the time I was able to spend with him in that last year.
On the day he died I walked home from class with my sister. We had a test the next day (which we postponed after hearing the news) and were going to study and have ice cream. My mom called my cell and told me, and I was so glad to be with my sister when we found out. It can't be coincidence that we decided to walk to my place together that day, we'd never done it before and both felt pretty ready for the exam, but we did.
I feel privileged to have such a wonderful and loving family, I know not everyone does. I hope that my future family will be as wonderful and loving, and I think it will. I have a great example to follow.