"I Believe: To Kill a Mocking Bird" by Becca Scher

Imagine being given an assignment for 9th grade about an value you have...and choosing family as your value....here is what Becca wrote. 

Love, closeness, hope, and strength; these are words that I hear when I think of family. To me family means that no matter what happens, you stick together and the challenges you face only bring you closer together and make you stronger. I guess this value came into play at an early age probably, when I was 6. In 2009, my twin brother’s health started to decrease and he was having trouble walking. Now imagine a healthy 6-year-old going from walking on his own and doing most things an average 6-year-old can do; to being stuck with braces on his legs and needing help to do almost everything again. Now I could do nothing to help him but stay strong and be there to play with him and love him like a sister should. Flash forward a few years and things only got worse, he had another “episode” as my parents called it and this time he couldn’t walk at all, a blue stroller replaced a walker or "wally" as he called it and his cool spider-man leg braces. And yet again what was I to do except sit and watch him go through it all over again. His last “episode” put him in a wheelchair and unable to breath on his own. Yet again, I had to be strong for all of us. I had to have strength for my mom and dad, for my aunt and uncles, my grandparents and cousins, and most importantly for my brother and I. Imagine the weight of that burden on a 9-10-year-olds shoulders; it’s a lot to take in and do. The reason I bring this up is because my twin brother is the reason I value family so much. No matter what he went through, he always knew how to smile and laugh and remind people to do the same. This value is important to me because watching someone who I shared a bond with die slowly and painfully showed me that family is something that will always be there to support you and always love you no matter what. Looking back on the time I had with my brother, there are things I wish I could change and things I know I wouldn’t. If I could I would have taken my brothers place in a single heartbeat, because such a bright, loving and caring soul; never deserved to go through such hardship. But since I can’t do any of that, I let the lesson of the value of family that was taught to me by my brother help me make decisions by always caring for my family, always look on the brightside and never letting anything stop my ever growing relationship with my family. I use this value today by being kind and caring to everyone I meet. Also, I treasure the moments I get with my friends and family because you never know what will be the last memory or moment with the people you love the most.