‘Ohana means family.
And family means everything. I’m beyond grateful for growing up in a close, tight-knit, and loving family dynamic. Not everyone is fortunate enough to have the same experience and it can be easy to take that for granted. Especially now, as I watch my family around me grow older, I’ve had to take a step back and really reflect on how much effort I am putting into keeping in touch with them.
Moving away from home 6 years ago was one of the hardest decisions I have ever had to make. I was so used to living at home and seeing not only my immediate family but also my extended family on an almost daily basis. When I first moved I would often get homesick. I flew home as often as I could back then but with the rising costs of airfare, I could afford to visit less. Phone calls and skype sessions soon took it’s place. But then I started to get caught up with the busy-ness of life and texting became the more common form of contact.
Although I’m just an island and a hop away from home, the homesickness never leaves. But the love, welcome and acceptance into my fiancée’s family has meant the world to me. They are my family now just as much as my own and had they not been there for me along with the rest of my family here, I’d likely have moved back home by now.
Ultimately, my mission for the family spoke is to not take for granted and be more conscious of the time I dedicate to my family and my fiancée’s family. My aim is to free up more time and make myself available for not only me to call, videochat, and spend physical time, but also for them to do so as well.