I love my family to death. Being at college and away from them can be really difficult at times. Being surrounded by them for 18 years of my life created a sense of normalcy, so when I left for college I felt out of place. I didn’t have my two younger brothers to watch over or get into petty arguments about things such as who was responsible for leaving the Frosted Flakes out. I didn’t have my Mom to yell about my shoes not being in the correct order, nor did I have my Dad there to approve my game system set up. I was on my own, and in the process of creating my own home here at college. The home here at Centenary will never match what I have where my family is at. I don’t get to visit them much, that part sucks, but when I do it feels like I never missed a beat.

Because I don’t live there anymore I am no longer a part of their routine in how they do things. It's only natural that they adapted to my absence. That’s what happens when you grow up and move away. Going back for me is always some of the best parts of the year. I don’t care if it is for an entire summer, a weekend, or a few weeks, it is nice to just be around them. Sometimes, admittedly, I get frustrated when I am there, but if they don’t frustrate you are they really your family?

I had not been home for the entire semester, so it was a little weird being in Abilene, Texas. I personally don’t have the luxury of seeing family often due to the distance, so when I do go home I try to spend as much time as possible with them. Going home for me is great, but for some it can actually be dangerous. I was told as a freshman in college to limit the number of times I returned home. For some students going home can harm their performance in college. Never saw that one coming. This was because for so long we were dependent on our family to provide for us and naturally we miss that, but going home hinders our ability to learn how to act independently. I never thought of it like that, but I ignored that warning and visited as much as I could when they lived near me.

As I and my peers grow older, we are shown the importance of family by learning to treasure the few moments that we may have with them. We have to make the most out of what we are provided and if we don’t then we are doing a disservice to ourselves. Time flies in college, and I am sure that it will fly even faster when I graduate. My youngest brother is halfway through high school, and my other is currently serving in the Marine Corps. Coming together is important because it creates moments that we cherish and that we can reflect upon during our absence. No matter what, family always comes first. Our lives may become busy and we may shift our priorities around, but we always need to have time to be there for each other.