https://sites.psu.edu/jadenrclblog/files/2022/02/The_Pennsylvania_State_University_4-2.

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0:00
My dad was 33 when he lost his mom to cancer. My mom grew up taking care of her four
younger siblings, but as they got older, they didn’t need her anymore, and their relationships
decayed. Two very different situations, but because of the experiences in their lives, both
preached the same thing, the importance of cherishing the time you spend with loved ones as
time is not guaranteed.

0:24
I grew up with two older brothers and a little sister. Before my younger sister came along, my
brothers always devoured me in kisses and didn’t mind taking me everywhere with them, even if
it meant impeding on their time with their girlfriends. When my sister was born, all of my
attention was on her. She was someone to play with, care for, and to love. My siblings and I had
so much love for each other, but, as was the case for my mom, our relationships started to decay
as well.

0:55
I've struggled with depression from the early age of 10 and was notorious for always being in my
room for hours and hours, leaving only to grab some food. Just me and my Dell laptop playing
Minecraft. I disliked having to go out and put a smile on my face when all I wanted was to be in
my room shut out from the world. Me being alone, playing Minecraft continued on for years: It
was an escape. An escape from what? I’m not entirely sure myself, but I did know I found relief
in being alone and not having to worry about how my sadness would affect others.

1:29
My mom truly could not understand how I could ever choose to stay in my room, doing nothing
of importance to her, rather than spend time with my little sister or brothers who were home from
college. She was angry and disappointed in me. She saw me as selfish and unloving. It might
seem dramatic. “Why would anyone care if someone wants to be alone?” But to her, maintaining
relationships within the family was important, as she wished she could be as close to her siblings
as she once was.

1:58
She encouraged me every day to get out of my room and enjoy all the fresh air and sunshine that
Jupiter, Florida, had to offer. She believed that being in the sun could cure anything and was
what made someone happier. It was an everyday occurrence to receive multiple texts from my
mother all saying the same thing: “Are you awake?” “Have you gone outside and enjoyed the
weather?” “Do not be on your computer all day.” “Go have lunch with your sister.”
2:25
Being 15 and 16 years old, it was annoying to have my mom always question my daily activities
and passively judge what I was doing in my free time, but deep down, I knew it helped me get
out of my bubble and enjoy what the world had to offer.

2:40
As I got older, I started to realize how soon my departure from home to college was and from
college to the real world. My departure from home-cooked meals that filled the house with a
loving aroma, my sister barging into my room without a single knock, and my mom as my
personal alarm clock. It was all going to be gone too soon. And that was when it hit—the
importance of cherishing the time you spend with loved ones as time is not guaranteed.

3:07
I learned to enjoy the company of my loving family. I learned how funny my sister could be. I
learned how intelligent my brothers were. I learned how to cook with my mom, who, to this day,
I believe, could have gone on master chef.

3:22
I was making time for my family, and my family was making time for me. I love them with
everything I have, and they are truly the people I cherish the most. They are the people who only
wish success and happiness for me and would do anything to make that come true. I was making
the most out of the last couple of years I had before college, but the universe decided it wasn’t
about me leaving for college; it was about my mom leaving me.

3:50
Leaving me after a hard-fought battle against cancer, when I was 16. Just like my dad, I lost my
mom to cancer. But, reflecting back on all of those days, I realize that she accomplished her goal.
It was then, that I understood the message that she was telling me all of those years.

4:08