Thank You

He always got up an hour earlier, preparing coffee, orange juice and breakfast for us each day. He raked the leaves when our yard got messy, chopped wood for the fireplace when it was cold, and fixed anything that needed fixing. He worked 9 to 5 each day and gave us spare money to spend on clothes, games, and whatever else we wanted. Did he receive a single thank you? No.

She made lunch and dinner for us, making sure we were well fed. When she was busy, she would have to skip meals, but still made sure to give us some cash to buy our own food. She cleaned the house and bought groceries, making sure to arrange things the way we like and buy things we like to eat. She taught us what the rules of society were and gave us a general list of rules to follow to thrive in school and the public. Did she receive a thank you? No.

They always ran around, laughing and playing games. They made everyone else laugh and enjoy the times when they were around to warm up the atmosphere. They acted sweet and sugary, cheering up He and She and all of their friends. They were liked by almost all. Almost all.

I had always felt embarrassed by them all. He, She, and They were my father, mother, and siblings. When out in public, sometimes I would walk off on my own, pretending not to know them. They had tendencies to be loud and attract attention, something I did not like or want. They attracted attention and stares, yet I felt there was nothing special that was deserving of stares. Rather, I felt these were stares of annoyance and judgement. I always thought my family was too orderly, doing everything so normal and tidy. We were normal, yet boring. I had no special talents, my parents worked regular jobs, and my siblings were also average. I had wanted to be a little different—a little special. Maybe, if my father worked in a circus, or if my mother was an actress, life would be cooler. If one of my siblings was a genius, or if one was a superb athlete, I would have something to brag about and people could look at my family in awe. In class, when we would share fun facts about our families and our weeks, people had interesting things to offer. I had wished that my life could be more like theirs. I wanted to take a weekend trip to a grandparent-owned beach house in Florida. I wanted to watch a sibling win something outstanding. I wanted to be extraordinary. And I thought my family was the complete opposite.

When I look back, I wish I had appreciated things more and enjoyed things more when they were normal. A series of life changing events changed my whole outlook on what I wanted. My dad's company started laying off workers, my father included. My mother injured her knee, and she could not take care of us as easily as before. My brother got diagnosed with leukemia, treatable, but a horrible and tiring process. Suddenly, I wasn't normal anymore. I had "interesting" things in my life that made me different from other people. But I did not like it. Not at all. My parents both worked extra hard, my dad taking up a bunch of jobs whenever and wherever he could, to pay for my brother's leukemia treatment. My brother's hair started falling out, and my sister started losing her joyfulness, becoming duller and duller. I had no idea how hard my parents worked until I saw all the effort they had to put in to keep our lives as normal as possible while taking care of my brother, their eyebags growing bigger and their yawns increasing. All the things I had not appreciated before, I miss them. I miss them so much. I wish I had thanked my dad after eating the breakfast he prepared and said "goodbye" and "have a good day" before he left for work. I wish I had hugged my mom after she dropped me off at school and handed me lunch money. I wish I had ruffled my brother's hair, joking and laughing with my siblings. I wish we still had that peacefulness that came with being a normal family.

I wish we could be like before and I am doing what I can to make things as normal as possible and to show my family that I appreciate them. I help cook and I get up a little earlier to help prepare breakfast. I help my sister with homework and make sure to sing my brother to sleep. I did not thank them enough before, and I do not know how to apologize for that, so I show my regret with actions instead of words. They took care of me before, but I did not give enough care to them. I would work hard, become successful, and give back to my parents.

When asked who and what motivates me the most, I used to always name a famous celebrity who was popular and successful, but now, after understanding how hard working and caring my parents are, I would definitely say them. Seeing how hard they work motivates me and inspires me to be the best person I can be. I wanted to be able to stand out in a good way, having something special or different from other people, but now I just want to be like my parents and provide well for my family. I will celebrate holidays joyfully with my parents, siblings, and future kids. I will prepare the things they like as gifts and buy the things they like and want, as long as it's not outrageous. I will continue to teach my siblings everything they want and need, and I will teach my kids the same in the future. Thank you to my parents, and thank you to my siblings. Thank you so much.