Life is a long road for anyone. Family and friends make the trip worth it along with music for a soundtrack. My family has always been close and since I came to The Ohio State University after graduating from high school I feel that my siblings and I have grown closer. Though we do not live in the same state and do not spend a lot of time with one another it has only strengthens our bond. It is the same way among my cousins. I recall friends who do not know or are not close with all their cousins and I feel fortunate and blessed for the bond I have with my cousins. This is by no means a simple task considering I am one of 16 grandchildren on my mom's side of the family and one of 10 on my dad's side. The family bond even extends to my mom's cousins and their families - my family is why I am who I am.
To give meaning to the picture I have as my default profile picture - Last October (Oct. 10, 2007) my cousin who is my age was one of two soldiers killed in a mortar attack on Camp Victory. Hearing of the news first thing when I woke up on Oct. 11 knocked the wind out of me for several days. I am slowly moving on, but every now and again I feel like I fall back down remembering that day. I am not sad when I talk about him, I am happy to reminisce and talk about him. I say this not to gain pity from anyone or anything of that sort. Thus far in our progress through our Master degree one thing we have talked about is context and understanding the frame of reference.
Since that day my family and friends have continued to show their support. My family has pulled closer for support and strength as we always do in hard times. My friends have seen how floored I was and when the moments come when I cannot get that day off my mind they wrap me in their arms allow me to have my moment and then find a way to make me laugh and help me move on. I could never pay my friends back for how they have helped me. With that I am reminded of a great quote that I always have in mind when doing something for a friend or family member in need. The great OSU football coach Woody Hayes told his players “You can never pay back, but you can always pay forward.”
To give meaning to the picture I have as my default profile picture - Last October (Oct. 10, 2007) my cousin who is my age was one of two soldiers killed in a mortar attack on Camp Victory. Hearing of the news first thing when I woke up on Oct. 11 knocked the wind out of me for several days. I am slowly moving on, but every now and again I feel like I fall back down remembering that day. I am not sad when I talk about him, I am happy to reminisce and talk about him. I say this not to gain pity from anyone or anything of that sort. Thus far in our progress through our Master degree one thing we have talked about is context and understanding the frame of reference.
Since that day my family and friends have continued to show their support. My family has pulled closer for support and strength as we always do in hard times. My friends have seen how floored I was and when the moments come when I cannot get that day off my mind they wrap me in their arms allow me to have my moment and then find a way to make me laugh and help me move on. I could never pay my friends back for how they have helped me. With that I am reminded of a great quote that I always have in mind when doing something for a friend or family member in need. The great OSU football coach Woody Hayes told his players “You can never pay back, but you can always pay forward.”
Life
Memories of growing up
So many of my family in 1 town
Closeness of aunts & uncles, or our grandparents & their siblings
There's nothing like cousins, they’re like brothers & sisters
The Love & bond among my family
The strength among my family
The courage to continue each day among Our Family!
~Anne Heater
I almost always, except in class and work, have music playing somewhere in the background. I have several thousand songs saved on my computer and I am always looking for new (to me) music. Meaning it does not have to be the most current, music just released, just music that I may not have heard yet. A lot of the music I have is just that; music someone told me about or I heard while hanging out with my friends. A lot of times my friends will be over at my apartment and will hear something random on my computer and will run home to download or request me to burn a CD for them. My music creates the soundtrack to my life and travels. I am always interested in what music inspires and motivates everyone.
I encourage you to share what music means to you. What music turn to when feeling overwhelmed or frustrated, whether it is jazz, blues, country, good ol’ rock ‘n’ roll, or classical.
Enjoy your day!! Go Buckeys beat the Gophers!!!
3 comments:
Anne,
Thanks for sharing this. I am really close with my family members too, so I can totally relate. Every Sunday is my Family Marathon Day. Where I spend all day with my grandparents, parents and sisters to catchup on life and support each others efforts.
Great to meet someone with a close family too!
Cat
Hi Anne,
What a great story you've shared. I cannot imagine what it would be like to not have a supportive family. I also become very attached to people. I had 2 friends that passed away in the last couple of years. For many guys, we don't have a large circle of male friends to begin with. Losing my friends put a big hole in my heart. Fortunately, I found that these special people became a part of who I am.
Jim Lutz
Anne,
It's been a hard couple of years for our family as well. I only had a pair of grandparents pass away growing up, but my wife and I lost a parent, grandparent, aunt and neighbor in 2007. We are just now starting to feel like things are becoming normal agian. It's a long road. I've actually put off this program for about 18 months while we struggled through all the changes. Grad School is something the whole family is adjusting too, and we finally feel we have the energy to make it through it. The kids also love being able to stay up on Tuesday nights until 10 pm, or whenever Dad finally makes it back home from class. We've already found that the time apart and time seperated while I work on class makes us appreciate the other times that much more.
--Jeffrey
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