Ohana

to know my family is to know me. i would be hard-pressed to find someone who truly understood who i am without knowing my family. without knowing my family they wouldn't know that my mom is truly the most amazing woman. whose kindness is seemingly endless and who is the only person i will not snap at for waking me up at an ungodly hour. my father, well this is where it gets scary, because when you meet him, you meet me all over again- if i was a 54 year old male. he's loud- really loud- and funny. he's maybe the only person who can actually make me laugh so hard that my abs hurt and my cheeks cramp up. most importantly though he loves my mom so much, and their love is what inspires me. it's unquestionable and so strong it would put concrete to shame.  then there's my hero, will. will, being an adult at the mere age of twelve is amazing. when my parents first told me i was going to have younger brother i was so excited, but i never expected my new baby brother to be my best friend. who would? television never depicts siblings who get along. the last time we fought was because he had put my issue of GQ in his room and i wanted to take it back to school and couldn't find it and if that's the worse it's going to get, then yeah, i'm okay with that. that's my family as individuals, but as a whole, as a unit, that's when the magic is usually seen.

something as simple as a family car ride, or setting the table is suddenly full of laughter and off-hand comments about this and that. we never talk about the tasks that have to be done, somehow it all just falls perfectly into place (by the time mom melts the butter too much... again).

i realize that this may not be the norm. i know people who have struggled with family issues their entire lives, and the subject remains taboo in their presence. i don't mean to brag or to make it seem like my family doesn't have problems because we do. my mom, despite being wonderful is annoyed easily at my messy habits, my dad's mood can fluctuate depending on one simple decision or event that occurred in the day and even my brother can rub me the wrong way. however, i've learned that it's what happens and how you feel at the end of the day that matters, and every night my family kisses each other good night.