A family separated by land..

I remember the day as if it were yesterday. The morning was fresh, it was the middle of August and it was just about after 8 a.m. The birds had sung their morning song and the sound of moving cars could be heard rushing to take their drivers towards their desired destination. The U-Haul truck was parked outside my front yard. In it were boxes filled to the top with clothing, shoe apparel, books, photos, and any other miscellaneous item that could be considered valuable to a person. Everything in that little truck all belonged to my sister. In a few minutes she would be headed off towards Dallas, Tx along with a friend to test her independance and get a fresh start at a new life. Not only was that the day she had to grow up and face the world and its challenges on her own in a place foreign to her: it was also the day I knew things would never be the same. (Or so I thought, I was 11 at the time). Since my birth my sister and I have been attached at the hip. She was my true support in anything I ever set my mind on and she always made sure to steer me in the right direction. Not only did I see her as my loving sister, but as time let on and the experiences were more intense she became more like a mother. My father is a very loving man who grew up not having much to work with. He always struggled with money but enjoyed life to the fullest and cared for his family which consisted of 12 other siblings. Because of his dedication to his work and family he has earned himself a respectful living and a good paying job. About four years ago the plants he was working in were beginning to lay off some of their employees due to the consumers buying less and less. His only way out of not having his career anymore was on making a very difficult decision that would affect not only him, but the rest of my family as well. They offered him a job in Costa Rica. The pay was to be very good considering the fact that it is out of the country. Living, and all other expenses were to be covered for the first few months of establishment. All he had to do was accept. A few weeks later, I was watching him walk towards the terminal headed out towards San Jose. During August of 2007 his business required him to move yet again to Nigaragua where he is residing to this day. It was very difficult for me to not have my two foundations of support living with me physically at home. I had grown so used to the constant chatter and mishaps that would occur on a day to day business when my family and I were all together. My brother, and mother are still residing in El Paso, Tx where I am from. Fortunately I have moved to attend college in San Antonio, Tx. I'm not going to lie, sometimes I wish things could be a lot different. I long for family outings or get-togethers for Christmas and Thanksgiving, but with time schedules and money matters, it is very difficult for all of us to be in accord with each other. What I value the most though however, is how much stronger our relationships with each other have gotten throughout the years. We never miss a beat in letting each other know just how much we miss the other, or simply just what is going on with our daily lives. Sure, we can't see each other as often as we all would like, but it makes me extremely happy knowing that although there may be miles and miles between us, our hearts are in exactly the right place.