When I was 16, my best friend told me a phrase that has stuck with me for the past five years.

FOE.

Family over everything.

It means no matter what happens, remember the people who helped get you there and that they are always there for you. What I have learned is that family is more than just blood-related people, and can range to the people who are your fraternity brothers. For me, the people I met through Ramah and my fraternity are my family.

There were always bumps in the road for me growing up. Some of the things that were easy to some people were hard to me and it frustrated me. Alongside me, every step of the way, were my family and friends, and even now that I'm an adult, my family and friends are there at every instance for me no matter the size of the event. We are told to surround ourselves with people who will build us up rather than tear us down. It is to make sure we are always positive no matter the outcome.

Being with the right people can go a long way especially when you face certain tragedies.

These past two weeks have been pretty hard for me, to put it one way. I lost a camper who was more than a camper to me and someone who I went to middle school, high school and college with; she lost her battle with cancer. It has left me thinking about life and if I am living mine to the fullest every day and thinking how soon I could lose it all.

Through these two tough weeks, I have been able to rely on the support system of my family but also on my friends. I recently told one of my friends that I was afraid to tell my friends about these tragedies because I didn’t want them to hurt the way I did. She then told me that’s what friends are there for — to help you when you hurt and to take some of the pain away from you. While I haven’t told all my friends about the emotions I am going through, I now feel more comfortable to tell them and know that I’ll get more support.

There are times where we need our family more than ever. Never lose your faith in family because while there are times we might not think we need them we always need them.

Remember, family over everything.

Family is what got us here and while there may be times they drive us crazy, they do care about us and want us to be happy and successful. I know everything that has happened to me and what I have learned wouldn’t be possible without my parents and my siblings. We sometimes take it for granted but everything we go through is similar to what our parents went through as well. That’s what friends and family are here for.

We have our struggles and there might be times we won't know how to handle them but our friends and family are here for us. These past two weeks have been hard for me and while I know that there will be other times just as hard in my life, I will never forget where I came from and who got me here. It’s important that we always remember this.