Time changes things… but Family will always be at Heart

Being back home for winter break is always soo nice… I dont get much of a chance to come back often during the school year. The best part about break is getting to see my family, you start missing them the older you get. I stayed up till 2:00 am tonight talking with my mom, about how life was when she grew up in Thialand, asked about how she first felt when moving here to the US and hearing stories about their life here in the US and wow that was so powerful. It makes you put so many things into perspective. Hearing about how poor they were, and how much they had to sacrifice to even get us to where we are today just breaks my heart because I know the sacrifices that theyve made for us and im so thankful. I couldnt help but tear up listening to the stories. I loved hearing stories about us when we were young, all the things we did growing up like going to the park every afternoon after my parents were done with work. Growing up my family and lots of other Hmong families always went to Marathon Park to hang out in the afternoon, I remember some of it but not too much, life was soo peaceful. My mom said she decided to go back there one day (its been about 13 years) and everything is slowly changing kind of like our lives. She remembers us playing on the swingsets, people playing volleyball and cards and now the two poles that held the volleyball nets still stand there with grass taken over the sand, newer swingsets are put in, and the tables where the elderly played cards are now gone… Its amazing how time changes things and how much we as people changed too… Over the last 2 years ive gone through so much, I have a greater appreciation for my family, my faith and my friends. I look back on the stories my mom tells and it just reminds me too that someday they won’t be here for us anymore and it breaks my heart. Which is why I spend as much time as I can talking with mom, golfing with dad because time is going to slowly change things. Like my mom remembers with the park I hope to be able to look back someday and tell my own kids about how wonderful of a journey life has been. 1:Thessalonians 5:18 In everything give thanks for this is Gods will for you in Christ Jesus.