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It Starts and Ends with Family

By Yoan Torello, Grade 11
I don’t always think about how important my family is, or at least I didn’t. I don’t always have it easy with them. I’m sure we have all gone through family issues, whether it’s a little argument or a considerable issue that has long-term effects. Personally, I haven’t always had it easy with my family over the past couple of years. I’m as guilty as they are, no one was worse than another, but it just made us separate a bit.

You will always need a mom and a dad even if you don’t think so. They made you, they helped you to grow up and if you are here today, it’s because they wanted you to be in a safe place. After all, they really care about you. They want the best for you, and they truly love you even if they don’t always show it and it’s hard for you to believe it. We have all had that moment when we’ve just wanted them to get off our back, but in the end, they are on your back because they want you to be successful and have a good life.

Personally, I realized how important my family is during Christmas break. I didn’t go back home to Switzerland because I didn’t have my student permit, which meant I would not have been able to come back to school. It might sound weird but it’s during that time without them that I truly realized how important they are. I thought spending Christmas and New Year’s Eve without my family wasn’t going to change much of my holidays because the last Christmas break that I spent with them wasn’t enjoyable, and my family ties were kind of broken. 

To be honest it changed a lot. Even though I had an amazing break with the Pimm family, and I thank them, I felt a hole that got bigger and bigger every day. It’s always when you are not with someone for an extended period of time that you put everything aside and realize how much you miss them. So I made the decision that I was willing to re-create my family ties and hopefully, in the future, make the relationship as normal as it could be.

Family ties are the most important ties you will ever have, because you won’t create those ties with anyone else. They will not be replaced so you don’t want to break them. I know it’s not always easy with family but remember, you are who you are, and you have what you have because of them. Put your ego aside and tell them how much you love them because you don’t know what tomorrow is made of. When it’s not going to be possible to say it anymore, you will regret not saying it enough. You don’t want to live with regrets, it’s the worst feeling to know that you could have done more. If I can give you a little advice, take some time to call them, check on them and make sure they are doing well.

I want to give you a final quote that I find very interesting and true: “Other things may change us, but we start and end with the family.” -Anthony Brandt.
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