Never shall I forget the moment I saw my uncle, my dad, and my grandpa in tears. It was at my great aunt’s funeral. I have seen my mom cry on a daily basis watching Indian drama shows on the television, but never have I seen my father cry. My grandma always talks about her past experiences and shares her emotions with me, but my grandpa has never ever mentioned a single moment from the past. My uncle is my motivation. Whenever I’m down he picks me up right away and puts me in my place. What reason do I have to give up? I must keep going in order to prove that I am strong and that I can do anything as long as I set my mind to it. These three men are my strength and my determination.

Never shall I forget the moment I held my uncle’s hand while the men were carrying the coffin containing my great aunt’s body. Tears rolled down his cheek, but sadly I couldn’t do anything other than be by his side. My dad was in front of me; I knew he could sense me close to him. I felt as if I was giving him some type of support, and with that support he had the will power to control his emotions knowing his family needed him too.  My grandpa was the priest so he couldn’t cry, but you could hear it in his weak voice. I saw him and smiled- in return he nodded. I knew the only thing I could do is be there for them. These three men are my strength and courage.

Never shall I forget the moment when I saw my uncle, my dad, and my grandfather saying their last goodbyes to my great aunt. I slowly took a few steps back knowing I could not let my tears flow in front of them. All the emotions and flashbacks were coming back to me. I couldn’t handle it. I couldn’t hold the tears back any longer. At that moment I realized the valuable lesson the woman in my life taught me… it is okay to express your emotions sometimes. Let those tears run when you can’t hold them back. My grandma’s sister passed away and she was my role model. She suffered so much just to be here with us. Even though she may not be here right now she will always have a place in all my family members’ hearts. She could have given up a long time ago, but she fought her battle for us. I love her so dearly. I let my emotions go and ran to my grandpa because we needed each other. All my family members are my strength and my drive.