The Most Important Thing In My Life

When I need someone to laugh and have fun with — someone to learn from; or just someone to talk to — I have my whole family with me to do so. I know that my mom, my dad, my sister, and my brother will always be there for me when I need someone to be with when I’m not feeling like myself — and I know they will be patient and try to empathize with what I might be feeling. I believe that family is the most important thing in one’s life. My brother helps me to have fun, my sister listens to what I have to say, my mom teaches me to be patient, and my dad tells me to be curious and open-minded. I take in all of this and think how lucky I am.

My dad always tells my brother, my sister, and me that family is most important, and that family should always come first before others. His belief influenced me greatly. What he says makes me stop and think. My dad and my mom have family overseas, hundreds and hundreds of miles away in Cambodia. My dad has been without his biological mother and siblings for about thirty-four years, since the separation during when the Khmer Rouge was taking over Cambodia from 1975-1979. In 2004, we all went to Cambodia to visit the rest of my family, who I barely knew. I try to empathize with what it would be like without my little brother, my sister, and my parents, but all the same, it was very hard to imagine. This experience of taking a moment to empathize with what it would be like in some else’s shoes, made me look at my life differently. What if I didn’t have my siblings anywhere near me? What if they were somewhere overseas with no way for me to see them? What if I had no mother, no father, no sister, no brother; what if it was just me, alone with no family? The sudden revelation made me think of all the “what ifs” and how things could have have been different. But I know how fortunate I am to have a family close by to enjoy everyday things with.

My brother and sister helps me become whoever I want — happy, sad, moody, excited, cranky, annoyed, joyful — and more. With my sister, I learn that she is my most trusted friend who I can and will trust with my secrets. My brother is someone I can have fun with no matter what we’re doing. But most importantly, my brother and sister helps me realize that it’s best to forgive and forget, rather than to hold a grudge, which can make everyone miserable. Though they can be annoying and intolerable sometimes, I know I have to learn how to get along with them because that’s what siblings are supposed to do: learn to get along with one another.

My mom shows me how to cope with situations that need to be faced. She teaches me to try instead of giving up because I will never learn anything that way. She is someone I respect greatly because she is my mom. She teaches me not to procrastinate and to do things while I can. My dad is the one who pushes me in life and encourages me to do the best I can do academically and in whatever I choose to do. His past experiences have taught me that life can be hard, but only you yourself have the power to change that. My dad is someone I look to for advice. But both my parents teaches me to be a kind-hearted person and to be kind to others. I look up to both of them and trust their advice when making decisions that require their advice.

This belief will impact my future because, even though I’m still trying to understand the belief and its many meanings, I know that in the future I will appreciate having my family with me and having their love be a part of my life.