Family: The Treasure of Heaven

All families are different. Some are big, some are small. Some are rich, some are....not so rich. Some are religious, some are not.
This week we discussed families with different social economical statuses and also different cultural backgrounds. How these differences can affect families, and how those families can affect a community.  We watched some videos for class and one that really stood out to me was called "Tammy's story". It showed a family who was very lower class and had a lot of trials (if you'd like to watch the video just follow this link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=37ZpauS5Doo ).  Tammy had to go through a lot, and work really hard just too barely be able to support her family. I hurt for this family as I watched them have so little. And it humbled me to realized how blessed I was growing up, and how blessed I am even now as a poor college student. At least I have food to eat and clothes to wear.
 

What impacted me most this week as I have studied and prepared for class, and had discussions in class, was an article I read regarding Illegal immigrants from Mexico. I initially thought the article was going to talk about how illegal immigration is bad and how we need to stop it from happening. But i was shocked to find out that it was based on the families that had immigrated, and how their immigration impacted their families. I was both inspired and saddened while reading this article. The purpose behind why parents were immigrating their families to America was, for the most part, to help their children have a better life in the future. None of their reasons were so that they could have immediate happiness. In fact all of them said they weren't happy currently. One mom said "When I was seven my father told me everything grows towards the light. We are here to grow towards the light even when we think that darkness surrounds us. In this family, under these circumstances, we are seeds in the soil trying to grow towards the light." This statement from her really inspired me. This helps me see the reason why i do everything i do. Sometimes life is hard, and it feels like it’s not worth it, but it will be. The immigration seemed to take a hard toll on the children though. They missed their family back in Mexico, and the happiness that they felt when they were with them. One adolescent girl said "I know my parents do this for our well-being, so we’re here. But I think all the people in Mexico are happy because they are with their family. You see, here, it is mostly sadness. I feel like crying instead of feeling good. We used to always be with my family, that’s who I miss."  These poor kids were only staying in the US because they knew that’s what their parents wanted for them. But truly they were unhappy. Other teens talked about how they had had thoughts of suicide, but resisted because they didn't want to make their families suffer any more than they already were. 

Looking at both of these different family dynamics -- Tammy's family and the families of the immigrants -- it has made me ponder why we do what we do.  Why don't these families give up? It would be so much easier for them, right? But something i have realized is family does something to you. It changes you. It makes you work harder than you even thought you'd be able to work in your life.  When life gets so hard and you just want to give up, you don’t, you keep going FOR your family. When all else fails family is always my reason to continue on and fight for what i need to. 

So next time you think that life is too hard, and you want to give up, think of Tammy's family, then think of the immigrant families, and then....think of your family. Because where you might not be rich pertaining to things of the world, you are richer than the greatest king because we have our family with us.