A week and a half ago, I was at my clinical internship with a veterinary clinic when I witnessed something incredible. We were at a farm call to draw blood from some young calves, but I was more focused on the cows nearby than the procedure that was occurring right in front of me. One at a time, the calves were placed in a headgate. 15 feet away, two female cows anxiously watched from behind a gate, mooing every once in a while in response to the calves’ calls. Once the doctor was finished with the calf, the headgate was opened and the calf was released toward the gate where the adult cows waited. I watched in awe as the cows escorted the young calf to the pasture, dropped it off with the herd, and then returned to the gate to wait for the next calf. This process was repeated until all of the calves were in the pasture where they belonged.
Looking back at that moment, their behavior still amazes me. The cows wanted to make sure that each and every calf was safely returned to the pasture because that’s what herds do, they look out for each other. In a way, our families are like herds. We gather in groups, eat together, look out for each other, and support one another. We communicate, stick together, assist each other, and love one another no matter what. When someone wanders away, we never give up on them. In the parable of the Prodigal Son from the Bible, the father was overjoyed when his son returned home. Although the son had wasted his inheritance and moved away from his family, he was still loved. Just like in the parable, each member of our families is important and nothing can change that. They all play instrumental roles in our lives, impacting us as we grow and mature. When one leaves the herd, the others wait for his return.
When I was in fifth grade, my paternal grandfather passed away. With that came a lot of fighting between my father and his brothers. This, unfortunately, led to them not talking. I haven’t seen anyone on that side of my family since then. The other side of my family isn’t perfect either. There’s fighting there as well and miles that separate us from each other. That just leaves me, my brother, and my parents: a small little family of four. I know that they will protect me and love me forever. They will support me and stand by my side. They will help me reach my dreams and care for me when I cannot care for myself. They will do anything for me and I will do anything for them.
I hope that if I saw any family member right now, they would welcome me with open arms. I’m willing to believe that we could pick up right where we left off because they’re my herd, my ohana.
