As my sophomore year of college approaches I can’t help but think of every responsibility that comes with it, from making the monthly tuition payments on time to working 40 hours a week to homework and papers. I realize there are two people who encourage me through it all and support me 110 percent and that is my parents. No one will ever understand how lucky I became when I got them as parents. Yes, we argue and disagree on a lot of things but I wouldn’t be where I am today if it wasn’t for them.
Sometimes I fail to see how much they sacrifice to make my life better. They moved to a whole new country just to make sure I had a better future. We were apart for four years; four years where the only communication we had were phone calls and nothing more. I used to have this anger towards them for leaving my brothers and I behind. At the time I was younger and I didn’t understand that it was all for us and they were only hoping for a better life. Not many people understand what it’s like to say goodbye to your parents, not knowing if they’ll make it safely to their destination or if you will ever see them again. Sometimes we sit around the dinner table and they talk about how they had to walk across a desert at night and got chased by animals during the night but they knew if we stayed in Mexico, we would’ve never had the same opportunities. They got here with nothing and now they own a house and are working towards starting a small business.
All my life I’ve seeing my parents work two jobs each. There are days that I don’t even get to see my mom because she goes from one job to the other, works more than 12 hours a day yet she still has the strength to come home and deal with my siblings and I. She never complains. I have never seen my mom call into work; even if she’s sick, she’s there. My dad has a very heavy job dealing with dangerous equipment and also works at a restaurant yet he always comes home in a good mood. I don’t even remember the last time I saw my dad in a bad mood. I can’t even imagine how tired they must be yet they never complain or at least never in front of my siblings and I.
I started this just thinking about how much my parents have helped me and as I write I’m trying so hard to hold my tears because the people around me right now would be freaked out if I started crying.
My parents are the greatest people I know. Their love and support have been the greatest gift I’ll ever get. I cannot wait for the day when I can walk across stage and finally earn a degree because it is all for them. They never got the chance to even finish middle school; my mom had to take care of her brothers and my dad had to start working. Sometimes my mom says if she would’ve had the opportunities I have, she would be a doctor and it breaks my heart to know she’ll never get to accomplish her dream. As the first person to attend college from my family, there have been times where I want to give up because I have to go to class then go straight to work, then come home and do homework. My parents are always there cheering me on and sometimes I feel like giving up but then I look at them and I remember why I have to keep going. They are proof that hard work pays off and giving up is never an option.
Nothing I ever do will be enough to thank them for everything they do. There is no way in which I can thank them for leaving their parents behind to give me a better life, for working non-stop to make sure I always have what I need. I may not always be good to them but I hope they know how thankful I am and that they are my symbol of strength and determination.
