家族がいつもどこでも一番大切だと思います

そうですよ。私はそう思う。
いつも、どこでも、自分の家族は誰でもより大切です。

Dad and Mum came over for the weekend to celebrate my birthday in advance. And I am so happy to see them again, and to have them camp over in my little room. >_<

Although it's only a short weekend together, I can't help but think family is the most important thing in the world to me. Often I think of what my family (i.e. Mum, Dad, and my sis) means to me. And everytime tears would threaten to fall when I think what it would be like to not be near them or to have to be apart. Yea... I'm pretty pathetic, but that is just how important they are to me.

I come from a very close-knit family. With just the four of us, there's almost nothing that we don't share with one another. I love the memories of us travelling to different countries together (ahem.. *read* JAPAN :P), because it is the time in which we are all in a relaxed state of mind and will cramp in a single hotel room together. It bonded us so well, that when we are apart, we miss each other so much.

Three years ago, I took the chance to venture out of my hometown to pursue my undergraduate studies. Initially it was all exciting, novel and the idea of being able to stand on my own feet far away from my family enchanted me. But as the years go by, I come to miss my family so much that I would seek every opportunity to go home. The farther we are from each other, the fonder we grew for each other's presence. Tears never fail to fall when I have to leave home for campus at every end of my vacation at home. Everytime I wished I could stay home just for a little longer.

Now that even my sis is in Sg, Mum tells me that home is very quiet and lonely. It pains me to hear that from my parents. And it always makes me wonder which is more important: to be with family for every living moment of your life, or to leave in pursuit of something in life that might take you very faraway from the ones you love? Is there meaning in chasing after the material or ambition when what accompanies is an emotional void? Separation or death is something no man can predict, and it scares me to think that if we don't spent every living moment with the ones we love, we may not have the chance to tomorrow.

When Mum tells me earnestly that she now knows the significance of "reunion", I couldn't stop my tears and agree. In life, for everything that we want, there is an equal price to pay in order to have it. And the price is not always in terms of money, but sacrifices of the things we hold dear. The question is always this : are we willing to pay the price?

～みはる～