A SPECIAL GIFT 

When it comes to family all of us cherish different people. Some may consider family to be the people we chose as friends other may be fond of those with an actual blood relationship. To me family is anyone who is loyal to me a person who understand me and has been there all along through thick and thin, most of the time these people are my nuclear family.

My family starts with my mom, she is my whole family. The person I turn to for anything and I value and love her the most among all people. I am an only child, I never got to have the experience of having a little brother nor a little cousin it was always just me. From my dad´s side I had 2 older cousins but since they lived in Guatemala and I lived in the US at the time  it was close to impossible seeing them often, so I consider I did have cousins at all. Until 5 years ago when my aunt started to have babies.

When it comes to aunts and uncles I have quite a few. Starting with my aunt Sandra she is the aunt everyone wants; she is always taking me out to places and buying me things. She is truly very special for me. Next is my uncle he is married but doesn’t have kids yet, he lives in Sanarate. My other aunt is also married and has two beautiful baby girls, my little cousins Nicole and Valentina.

I cannot imagine living my life without my family by my side. Family is very important and valuable to me and is something that should never be taken for granted. Without my family, a large part of my life and culture would be missing.

Whether it's my grandparent, my two cousins, my mom, or my dad, I know I can always count on someone to help me feel better. In fact, I think that this is probably the most important thing that my family has taught me; a family is made up of people who you can trust and who you can count on. Too many times today, we read in the papers about families where parents abuse their children, verbally and physically. What these parents don't realize is that they are either beginning or involving themselves in a vicious circle of hate in families. When parents abuse their children, they are telling their children that that is the way to raise children, and this is what their children learn. I was lucky, I have learned differently, because my family cares about me, and I care about them.