There are people who always and will always put you first in any circumstance. Even when they don’t know what they’re saying “Yes” to. They will still put you first no matter how much doing so hurts.

They are the ones who sacrifice for you out of love. They will make the difficult decisions and stand with you when everyone turns away.

They are the ones with the special name; “Family”.

Having someone to love you unconditionally despite your shortcomings, and doing so even when it’s not easy to do so.

The dictionary defines family as a group of people consisting of two parents and their children living together as a unit. They are the people who love, understand, and accept you genuinely without any condition.

Thinking of what family means and is to me last night, I came up with this definition;

Family is having someone who’s primary motive is to love you with no string attached.

Everyone of us defines family differently however, the significance of the family is the same. Families differ in terms of economic, cultural, social, and many other facets. But what every family has in common is that the people who term others as family are making it clear that those people are important in some way to them.

What does family mean to you?

Is it just being born and told that; this is your family, the most important people that are forever going to be in your life?

An adorable girl I once met, showed me what was so dear to her heart in a simple piece of art. Upon our decision to gift each other with something, I made a box as her gift and my gift was an image of a house with three girls, symbols of love, stars, flowers, and a “Happy Birthday” written above it even though it wasn’t my birthday.

I asked her about her sketch and her response was this;

This is our house, that is me and my little sisters, we are playing outside while mum, dad, and my brother are inside the house“.

The above is just about a little girl who is given a sheet of paper to sketch something on and then randomly sketch something which gives value to how much her family is important to her even though it was a supposed gift for me. But that is children for you, they do great with identifying what is worth giving out their best to and what is not.

You may never understand why some people consider their pets as family until you explore the true meaning of Family. It goes far beyond blood relations, you can find someone who will care and love you better but may not be related to you by blood.

Family is termed as such since everyone within it looks out for each other or better said, are each other’s keeper. It does not matter how messed up someone within the family is he or she still qualifies to be under their protective shield.

A group can still be termed as a family even when it’s filled with a bunch of thieves although not acceptable by society but a family does not need to be perfect, just united.

I picked up a part-time to enable earn more for a pressing project of mine but I stopped past a year ago after 5 months of working there. I would wake up each morning and leave home, come back late at night or not return home at all for days, especially when I had to work for 24 hours from one job to the other. After the 4th month, I sat down to analyze and know if my gains were more but it was not. I did earn a little bit but not as much as I rightfully needed to be paid considering my input, again being there was turning me into someone I was not although I did all that was required of me and my employers were much pleased with me. I couldn’t also make time for my important stuffs that was fun and healthy for me as my blog and choir, couldn’t even read much nor write. Above all, i could not make time to be there for y family as much as they needed me then.

The hurting part was when some friends I consider family told me how they never could reach me on the phone when they needed me and had to wait till they see me online on my WhatsApp. I recall when I went to see the administrator concerning my resignation, he asked me one simple question

Are all those things you are leaving the job for going to earn you money?”

The answer was No! but I will be happy since it’s going to give me all that I need. It’s been years now and I have no regret leaving that job and for a fact, I think I made a wise decision on that.

I thought by working to earn extra money I was doing it for my family but I was wrong it only seemed just for me since my family never asked me for that, it was doing fine before then and it is still doing great, somehow I’m doing better without that job even more than before. The fact is when you care about your family and put it first, you will have your whole family caring for you too. You turn to have people worrying about you, finding ways to help you.

Why have only one person [you] helping you through life when you can have the whole world [family] doing so. Literally, by caring for family, helping each one of them achieve their dream, they in turn help you reach yours. I guess I survived my most terrible unit at my workplace since we [the staff] saw each other as family and so looked out for each other.

The basis of family is love, it teaches each other, serves one another, and share life’s joys and sorrows. Family provides a setting for personal growth, it works together to overcome struggles and to provide happiness to each of its members. As much as we all naturally belong to a family, keep stretching out your hand until it reaches someone ready to hold onto it so we all become one big family.

The love we give away is the only love we keep.
– Elbert Hubbard

6 thoughts on “THE OTHER LOVED ONE

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