December 20, 2013: I wake up finding out that I am going to visit my father in the United States of America to surprise him on his birthday which is on the 24th. I was so excited to the extent that I had forgotten that I had to go to school to submit some of my requirements before leaving for the airport. When I got to the airplane, there was a man sitting next to me who had his one year old kid on his lap. She would not stop crying. It was a 13 hour flight so I requested for a change of seat. I did not get it…thanks to my bad luck. I finally landed. The beautiful sunset, the breezy wind, and the perfectly shaped clouds made everything as perfect as I could imagine it to be. My family and I wanted to surprise my dad in his apartment but found out that he was not there yet. He wasn’t back from work . After an hour of waiting, he finally arrived. He was in a total shock to see us in his apartment. He then brought us out for a nice dinner, and showed us around the city. After celebrating both his birthday and new year with him, it was time for us to leave the USA. We headed back to the Philippines and just could not stop talking about all the good times we had there with our dad. Time with family should always be prioritized. Our family is the biggest treasure given to us by the Almighty. We should always learn to value each one of them. Each member teaches us different lessons that eventually become stepping stones as we grow up and face life. No one will love us and care about us as much as our family. In times of trouble they will watch our backs and in times of need they will always be on our side. Our family will smile when we smile and cry when we cry. They are our source of encouragement and positivity, our fort and our guide.
-Tamanna Mahibubani
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