Nothing like family by: Alyssa Chin

Gramps and Grand drive from Paia town
They pass by the waving green sugarcane
At Uncle’s house, the pies are golden brown
The fragrance wafts through the blue windowpane
Uncle Hew takes out the napkins and plates
As Uncle Maurice smiles and walks in
Lifting the heavy boxes and big crates
Working together feeling joy within
As Gramps and Grand arrive, the doorbell chimes
They are greeted with kisses and big hugs
Ready to create memorable times
Cries of joy so loud we’d all need ear plugs
Family is what we’ll always be
Always growing and growing like a tree

I remember staying at my Uncle’s house in Maui for Christmas or New Year’s every year, until he moved to Texas. It would be my Mom, two Uncles, Aunty and my grandparents all together in one house filled with the smells of turkey and baked apple pie. We open what seems like never ending presents and eat until we can’t eat anymore. Of course it’s sad when we all have to end our time together, but the happiness and joyous times we spent together overwhelms all of the negative thoughts. Family is like a tree, because we not only keep growing in the number of generations, but also we all grow individually to become better people.
Every holiday my mom and dad would switch so sometimes my Mom would have me for Christmas and other times she would have me for New Year. My Dad wouldn’t really do anything special for the holidays, so I would always look forward to my mom taking me to visit her family in Maui. My grandparents lives still to this day, in the same house in Paia, Maui . “They pass by the waving green sugarcane” explains that Paia is actually a sugarcane plantation town, where to this day they’re still growing lots of sugarcane. “As Uncle Maurice smiles and walks in” is a line that expresses my Uncle Maurice and how he is most of the time just a tad bit late and knows it, so always smiles when he is. Nonetheless, both of my uncles, Uncle Hew and Uncle Maurice, (my mom’s two younger brothers) have always been so thoughtful and caring. They always help out whether it’s something small like doing something together to make things easier and more efficient. My Mom, Aunty Rose and I are people who are also like my uncles because we help with everything. It could be washing dishes or wiping down the counters.
“They are greeted with kisses and big hugs” is something that all families do when family arrive, especially our family. It’s probably because we only see each other every six or more months, since my Mom and I live on Oahu and they all, at the time, lived on Maui. The first thing we do when we saw each other, wouldn’t be to say “Oh honey how are you?” but instead just go straight to giving lots of bear hugs and tons of kisses. We are a close family that tries to spend as much time with each other as possible. “Family is what we’ll always be” “Always growing and growing like a tree.” When I think of family, I think of a tree. This is because first of all, we all get married and have children, which makes our family even bigger. Not only do our families get larger in the number of members, but also individually people grow as a person and our families help us in doing that. For example: When I was younger, my Mom always made sure she taught me of what I should and shouldn’t do in her household. I remember one time I talked back to her when I was younger, and she taught me of how I should respect my elders, especially my family and not talk back because number one it wasn’t respectful and also since I want to treat people the way I want to be treated. Now that I’m older and a teenager, I try my hardest not to talk back because of what she taught me.
Family is one of the most important aspects in life because they are the ones that pick you up when you fall and cheer you on when you succeed. My family has taught me so many life values and have left me with unforgettable continuous memories that will last me a lifetime. I know sometimes we take our family for granted because we always know they’ll be there, but one day, they just might not be. So live life to the fullest with your family and make wonderful memories that you can share with future generations.