At six years old, I was just settling down into kindergarten in Illinois when my mom decided to move us to a small town in South Carolina to be closer with her fiance at the time.

At six, I wasn't quite aware of what moving from Illinois to South Carolina meant for me, so I took the move fairly well. I did not realize that I was leaving behind a majority of my family and that I wouldn't be seeing them near as much as I would like.

Don't get me wrong--- I love my life in South Carolina. My mom is remarried, and I have a little brother here with me. Over the years, I have made so many wonderful memories, and I have made friends that might as well be family to me. I am established here with my enrollment in a local university, my job, and my boyfriend. However, no matter how good life is here, I am always missing my dear family that is just too far away.

Every year, we have two scheduled trips to go home to Illinois: one during the summer and one over winter break. We spend the week doing our best to make up for lost time. For me, this is an especially hectic time, because I have to divide my time between three different groups of family. There is my mom's side of the family, my stepdad's family, and my biological father and his family.

Family has always been a big part of my life, so my time with all of them is precious to me.

When I visit my biological dad, I also get to see my other siblings: two brothers and two sisters. Seeing them is an emotional time for me, because usually in between visits, they've reached all sorts of milestones like learning to walk and learning to speak.However, it makes me proud to watch them grow and I cherish the time I do get to spend with them. They're always so excited to see me, and that warms my heart every time.

Due to this difficulty, I am adamant that people who are blessed enough to live close to all of their family don't take that for granted. It's easy to get used to Grandma being right up the street, so maybe you don't go see her as much as you should.

Please, don't.

Make the most of your time with all of your family, no matter how abundant that time is. Cherish your family and their closeness, and never leave it to distance to make the heart grow fonder!