If the family were a fruit, it would be an orange, a circle of sections, held together but separable - each segment distinct. ~Letty Cottin Pogrebin
Family. Imagine a world without your family, how would you feel? Sad? Happy? For me, it would be neither. I would feel devastated. Without a family, it would be like not having any food or water. Money can buy you jewellery, and education, and whatever you want. But money can't buy you a family. Family is priceless. No child deserves a life without family. The most vulnerable children in the world are orphans without a mother or a father to protect, love and care for them. These innocent children are living in orphanages and they do not get to experience the love, care and comfort others get from their parents. Research shows that one of the worst places for a child to be raised is in an orphanage. Studies show that children growing up in orphanages usually experience emotional, social and physical handicaps, and the outcomes for children after leaving an orphanage are usually dismal at best. Stories behind orphans are heart-warming and compelling. Below is two paragraphs taken from the story of a Russian girl, Elena Barlow, who was an orphan.
"The country I came from is Moldova. It is a very small country that used to be part of Russia. In my orphanage, I went to school, ate meals, and made friends. The orphanage is like a jail, and the children are rarely allowed to leave. There was no heat, and we were very cold during our long winters. We were always hungry, and we wished we had enough shampoo, soap and warm water. We took care of the younger kids, and we washed their clothes by hand. Without love and touching, many babies actually die in the orphanages. I did have some close orphan friends who became my family, and we tried to help each other. There were twenty girls living in my last room, with only small beds and very, very few personal possessions. We lived so close that if one of us got sick, we all got sick."
"At about age sixteen, the orphans are put out on the streets with no money, food or clothes. The unemployment rate in my country is 68 percent, meaning that it is almost impossible for the children to find work. There is almost no hope for these children.” by Elena Barlow, adapted from http://www.familiessavingorphans.org/fso/elena.cfm.
I could never imagine myself being in an orphanage and even more in this situation. Orphanages are often portrayed in movies as a safe haven for orphans but in actual fact, it is the complete opposite. Orphans were treated with little hospitality and comfort. The orphans had to be independent most of the time and they went through many hardships. I sympathise with them and also at the same time, admire them. I admire their determination for not giving up through the hard times and also, for their strength. These orphans go through hell everyday living in orphanages and at sixteen, they would have to stand on their own two feet with nothing with them. No food, money or clothes. Even with all of these problems, they are able to survive because of their will to live and to never give up.
I feel blessed to have wonderful parents and caring siblings. Many people I know seldom spend time with their family. They would spend more time in school or in their own activities rather than family. Thus, they would not feel as close to their family. Even though I have many activities in school and come home late often, I would never miss having dinner with my family. If I have to come home late, my family would wait for me before eating dinner. My Mom always says that we have to wait for each other before eating dinner. Even if it means waiting up until 9 or 10, my family would wait for each other. Nothing is more important than having a meal together as one family. I would also never turn down a trip to the supermarket with my parents.
The family - that dear octopus from whose tentacles we never quite escape, nor, in our inmost hearts, ever quite wish to. ~Dodie Smith
Family is something we must cherish forever. I would never want my family to fall out or have bad feelings against each other. Though we argue a lot and my parents would scold us, at the end of the day, we know we still love each other. If we die tomorrow, the company that we are working for could easily replace us in a matter of days. But the family we left behind will feel the lost for the rest of their lives. And come to think of it, we pour ourselves more into work than to our family -an unwise investment indeed. So what is behind the story? You know what is the full word of family? FAMILY = (F) ATHER (A) ND (M) OTHER, (I) (L) OVE (Y) OU. Written by Mike Ellis, adapted from http://storiesthattouch.blogspot.com/2007/05/teachers-class.html.
Remember guys, cherish your family!
Cheers
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