Shaun+Jordan

Journal # 1 As a young boy, my favorite memories are when my siblings come home to visit the family. Because I am at least six years younger than all of them, they had moved out to begin their personal lives well before I was old enough to think about what my life would be like in the upcoming years and after I graduate from high school. What I did know is that when they came home for those few days I wanted to spend the greatest amount of time with them that I could, but they always seemed to be going out with their friends and then sleep for the rest of the day. I could not understand how they could come home and not spend much time with the rest of the family. At that time I was sure that if I was away for a while and came home I would spend all of the time I could with them. Later on in life I would realize that a person had to be mature to know that family is more important. Unfortunately, I would learn that the hard way. At about 17, I was able to drive and i found it a lot easier to go out and spend more time with friends and less time with family. As it turns out, the roles had switched and i had lost that childhood longing for the family to be together. When it was time for my siblings to come home, I would stay for the initial hello's and hugs, but then I would find myself leaving shortly afterwards to go and be with my friends. One day, my mother told my how my sister didn't think that it was right that I was never home when they were. I didn't give it much thought and figured that they had done it to me. It was not until Christmas of my senior year in high school did I once again realize the importance of family. I was not able to buy Christmas presents for my family because I had spent all of my money on gas going to see my friends. I wasn't around much for Christmas with much of the family home. That begin to get to me just a little bit and I could not understand how I could be so selfish to not even put aside my personal life and spend time with my family for the short time that they were home.