My Father And My Brother

While reading the story “Sonny’s Blues” by James Baldwin I could not help but think about my own brother while growing up. From a very young age I always felt as though it was my job to keep him safe and on the right path. We did everything together, played sports, played board games, watched television, we even had some of the same friends. Sometimes I felt more like a second mom to him than his older sister.

Depending on close relationships, we quickly learned to confide in each other. We did chores as a team, participated in church youth, and made up our own games to keep us entertained in the back yard. We were constantly together, which we all hated then. Now, I look back and realize forming a close bond with my siblings is one of the greatest memories of my childhood. I never thought that my brothers would be some of the most important people in my life considering how much we would bicker, but now, I am beyond thankful for them.

“My bigger siblings used to love us (the younger children), and they used to do everything for us in whatever we would not be able to do, but they also liked us to obey them. Whenever we would not obey them, they would punish us just like our parents. Even though they disciplined us, we never used to see it bad. We still loved each other. Up to now, we love each

My mother had house rules we all had to adhere to before we could go outside to play. The main rule was to complete our chores right after school. The house chores consisted of cleaning the house, cooking dinner, ironing and washing clothes. We were given these chores to help the house run more smoothly while my mother worked. My mother worked at the local school cafeteria which was a tedious job because she was on her feet all day, but she did what she had to do to provide for her family. Although my father was not there, my mom taught each one of us the importance of working hard for what you want in life. Growing up, we may not have everything we desired, but my mother made sure we had everything we required. As far as my siblings, I enjoyed growing up with my brothers and sisters. My two oldest siblings were from my mothers’ previous marriage. We did not see them much coming up because they both joined the Army and moved. The rest of my siblings and I remained extremely close until my mother passed away. After she passed away we appeared to drift apart. Sometimes I yearn for the closeness my siblings and I had growing up. Even though we often fought amongst ourselves, we had closeness and a unity that I truly crave. We didn’t just accompany my mother to

As a child I used to believe that my life could not get any better because at the age of 6, I had everything that I ever wanted. I was the center of attention and my parents always had enough time to play with me. I always received the most expensive toys, dolls and clothes from my relatives and cousins. I was also brash and troublesome, purposely placing my older siblings in trouble whenever they made me cry or when they don’t follow the things I wanted them to do. In short, I had the life of a very spoiled, stubborn and ignorant child but nevertheless, I used to believe that my life was perfect. That was before my parents told me that I was having a younger sibling.

John F. Kennedy once said, ”Efforts and courage are not enough without purpose and direction.” This quote explains how much of a support my grandparents, family, and a safe country mean to me. I am very thankful for my grandparents who support me all the time and come to sporting events and love to hear about school when they call at night. I am also thankful for my amazing family, who always stand by me everyday and love to hear about my school day and come to baseball games even when they don’t really want to. Some of the other things that I am also thankful for are that we can live safe happy lives, we don’t have to be drafted into the Army, etc. Lastly, I am thankful for a safe country that has a great armed forces, leaders, and is very generous. Moreover, I am thankful for a safe country, family, and my amazing grandparents.

Everyone has someone in their life that makes you feel better when you're sad or cares about you eternally, no matter what. That is my family, specifically my Dad, my Mom and my brother Brian. Some people take their family for granted, but I know that without my parents I wouldn’t have a roof over my head or food on a plate or even clothes on my back. Without my brother, I might not have played any sports, my brother is the one who introduced all types of sports into my life and motivated me to do my best.

Throughout my entire life I’ve had to deal with adversities such as stress and anxiety, but the most challenging has been my recurrent depression mainly attributed to my father’s absence.

As a sister, I learned to become nurturing and selfless. Because my brother was born soon after me, everyone's first thought including my own, was to always worry about his well-being. This sense has been heightened because of my younger sister. In so many ways she has taught me patience, maturity, and the true meaning of selflessness. As I grow I help my sibling’s by being their teacher and counselor for them so they can learn from my mistakes.

would hurt me so much seeing my friend’s dads be there for them while mine was nowhere around. The question of why was I not good enough popped up into my head multiple times. My mom would always tell me that it was my dad’s loss. He was missing out on my life.

Now for the part we're all waiting for, the siblings. My oldest sibling Daniel (32), this is one of the three siblings that totally excluded themselves out of the family. Right out of high school he closed all contact from my Dad and all the kids that still resided with him. Needless to say, I am the only kid that hasn’t talked to him. Next, Chase (30) I have a very distinct relationship with him only because when I look and talk to him it feels like I’m talking to my Dad. Like my Dad, he chooses his favorite siblings and the specific ones he wants to have a relationship with and like you can guess I’m not included in that group. Three years ago Chase decided to get into drugs and misuse them and I talked to him asking if his life was that bad that he had to turn to heroin for an escape and he just sat there with no response that is the one conversation that will stick with me till I die. Now the second most impactful sibling Rochelle(29) she gets me through thick and thin when it comes to my parents and calms me down when I need it the most. She has made me who I am and will always be by my side till I die. She has been in a total of six car totaling accidents since my birth because she suffers from Schizencephaly which is a rare birth defect where slits or clefts are formed in the cerebral hemispheres of the brain and causes her to have periodic seizures. Next, we hit Cole (27) my relationship could be stronger but it's not weak. I only see him maybe once or twice every

The make-up of my family was our parents, two boys and four girls, of which I was the youngest. It was a Christian based home, where my father was strict but, my mother was the nurturer in the family. In my eyes, my mother was awesome because she had such inner, spiritual and physical strength, and although both parents played a big part in our spiritual instruction, the memory of her example of faithful prayer and dependence on God’s strength, impacted me the most.

What would you do if one day you got the chance to look in another person's life. If you want to follow me into my loving and caring house, you will learn all about my family. You will learn what makes us unique. You will also learn about how each member is important to me. What you find out may surprise you or terrify you. One thing though that my family sticks by is a line from the disney movie lilo and stitch: “Ohana means family, family means nobody gets left behind or forgotten.” So if you would like to know what it is to be in my family come and join me.

My brother is not just someone I share blood with but someone I can rely on and look up to. Patrick, my seventeen year old brother, has been by my side since I was a little baby. My youngest memories are of Patrick and I running around in our backyard laughing. As he grew older, I began to look up to him. He was everything I aspired to be: intelligent, passionate, and athletic. Patrick always seemed to know what he wanted in life, and I admired how he chased down his goals. There were points in my life when I was very unmotivated, especially when I was seven years old. Insecure and unsure, I did not believe in myself from a very young age, and Patrick was there for me when no one else was. He made me believe in myself and my own abilities above anything else. I have my big brother to thank for finding the strength to persevere through my struggles and overcoming my obstacles.

My grandma was, and is, my best friend as well as my hero. Ever since I was little my fondest memories have always been about my grandma and the countless hours we’d spend together. We’d do everything from playing card games, to matching socks, to cutting up melons for the whole family to eat on a hot summer day. From an early age I always knew that she was my hero, but I never really thought about what that meant.