Family

Family can mean something different to everyone. Whether it's the people who share the same blood as you or those who are close to you, everyone has a family. "Family means no one gets left behind or forgotten"(Lilo and Stitch). They are the people who support you through thick and thin. The type of family you have can vary. There is not a single family who is exactly alike. Barbara Kingsolver shows a good job of this in her essay "Stone Soup". People in a family love each other. They support one another even when times get rough. To be a family does not just mean to be born into one. Having a family means knowing that there are people who you have your back no matter what happens. The function of a family is to care and to be there for each other. The purpose of a family is love and help one another succeed. Not to tear each other down. Family is shown a lot throughout the novel A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith. 

An example of family is shown in the essay "Stone Soup", " The sooner we can let go of the fairy tale of families functioning perfectly in isolation, the better we might embrace the relief of community" (Kingsolver). Not every family is perfect, but people are so caught up in the times where every family was alike. When they see a family that is not traditional, they automatically start to judge. People don't realize that times are changing. Not every family has to be "perfect" to be a good family. The quicker we realize this, the quicker we will be able to accept families for who they are. 

Another example of family shown in "Stone Soup" is "The cheering section includes his mother and her friends, his brother,his father and stepmother, a stepbrother and stepsister, and a grandparent"(Kingsolver). This quote shows that even though this family isn't traditional, these people are still happy. Everyone came to support that little boy and that's the true meaning of family. Others may see this family as broken, but in reality it is as strong as ever. 

The third quote shows that family is found in the novel A Tree Grows in Brooklyn " The card said: For Francie on graduation day. Love from Papa"(Smith 351). Johnny was an alcoholic, but that didn't stop him from loving his family. The Nolans loved and cared for each other, even if they weren't the perfect family. Francie knew that her father still loved her, though he had been going through a rough time in his life. The purpose of a family is to love even if someone is going through something. None of this stopped Francie from caring about her father. 

The final quote about family is stated in the novel A Tree Grows in Brooklyn " put her head down on the table and cried in great ugly tearing sobs. Sissy put her arms around her and spoke in her gentle caressing voice"(Smith 293).  A family is a group of people you can go to when times get rough. Johnny had just died, which was a devastating moment for Katie, but at least she had her sisters and kids by her side. She didn't have to face anything alone. 

In conclusion, every family has a purpose. It can be to love and support or to help each other grow. There is no such thing as a "perfect family". A family with stepmothers and siblings is just as good as a family with a mom and dad. Family is important because they help you through everything and they support you. 

          

Sacredness of the Ordinary

Some say a picture is worth a thousand words. To me, this picture means so much more than that. A picture I will cherish for the rest of my life because it reminds me of such good memories. Memories that I don’t want to ever forget. This picture will forever be in my heart.

 

This is the picture that Pear drew for me. I am on left, Pear is in the middle and my other friend Grace is on the right.  

Pear also wrote a note to me which on the back of this picture. She talks about how we should never forget our friendship and all the memories we shared. I know for a fact that I will always remember her.

The person who drew this picture is my friend Pear. She was a Thai exchange student for a couple of weeks. When I first met her, she was ready to start learning. She was always happy to come and very curious. She taught me lots of things like how to write my name in Thai and how to write the alphabet. In the little time that I got to know pear, we developed a very strong relationship that will last a long time. She is the most sweetest person I know. Even though she is miles away from me, this picture still connects us in a way. Pear made me smile in some way every time I saw her. She showed kindness to everyone, even those she didn't know. Class was probably boring for her, but she made the best of it anyways. Pear has that personality that just makes you want to be around her. Pear taught me so much about Thai culture in just a short amount of time. She told us about all the different classes she took in school and how her life was back in Thai. Learning about different cultures was so exciting. The whole reason why I want to travel this world is to learn more about other people in this world.

 Here's another picture of us in English class.

While the Thai kids were here, they celebrated a holiday called the Songkran Festival. This Festival is the traditional Thai New Years. It is celebrated from April 13-15. I really enjoyed seeing the Thai kids celebrate their New Years. It was a little weird because we celebrate our New Years in January. During the festival, the kids would mark their faces with chalk and it was considered a blessing. They also had a lot of food. Some of the food that was there included rice,chicken kabobs, and spring rolls. I'm glad I got to see the kids celebrate their holiday. It's nice to learn about different cultures other than the American one. Pear seemed so excited to teach us about her holiday and we were just as excited to learn about it.

I am so glad that I met Pear. She showed me a lot of interesting things and I know that I will never forget her.