Family by Paul Matus

“What is a perfect family?” That is one of life’s most common yet left unanswered questions. As a child, I believed I had a perfect family, however, waking up to reality; I have come to realize that there is no such thing. No individual is perfect therefore no family is perfect. My family, above all influences in my life, has been my greatest lover. Our love story began when I was first held in my mother’s arms, and it is continued now and for the rest of my life. They have formed me as a person, and unlike foreign nationalities who take their families for granted, they on the other hand, value me as a member. I firmly believe that a perfect family can be measured by the weight of its ties, strength of its bond, and purity of its heart.

In a perfect family, one does not simply forget to say “I Love You”. In mine, we tend to forget in almost every tiresome day; after school or after work, not mentioning those three eternal words seems to be a part of our daily routine. All we do is show it to one another, through a kiss on the cheeks, or a goodnight hug.

The bond is unbreakable in a perfect family, always strong and never weak. Our bond? It’s like a rubber band. A strong powerful force can pull us farther from one another. But with every action, there is an opposite reaction that pulls us together again.

While a perfect family experiences no heartaches, only purity inside, we as a family cannot help but hold grudges against one another. However, we always find ways to overcome them. We always open our hearts in order to forgive and forget.

I may not be lucky enough to have a perfect family, but I am blessed to have my family. They might not be perfect, and I might be lying if I said that I wouldn’t trade them for a better one. I would definitely take that chance; however, it’s not what I really need. I have a family that is genuine, not everyone is given this opportunity to share a lifetime with the most amazing people that they will ever meet in their entire existence. What seems to be common to most is really hard to find. I thank God that African-Asian/Asian people value their family, it has always been rooted in our ancestors; We Asians are proud of our families.