Family is one of the most important things to me in my life. Through all the hard times, my family has always been there for me. I have an amazing family, but sadly there are others who don't have great relationships with their family and maybe even their parents. I just want to say that no matter what has happened in the past, everyone should spend time with their family and not be as self- centered.

These past two weeks I spent a few days at both of my grandparents' homes. My dad's mom is moving houses and I got really nervous when I thought about her and her 84-year-old sister trying to move boxes. So I talked with my grandma and we decided when I could come up to help. We spent a lot of time moving and I am so glad that I was there helping her. Some of those boxes I struggled to lift. I got to spend some real quality time with her and we had fun. Even though most of the time we both were working, it was fun and I know that I will got back to help once all the big stuff is moved.

Then this past Monday I went up to my other grandparents' house and I got to spend a few days with them. We mainly stayed at their house because it was about 100 degrees outside. We played a lot of games. Mainly we played Rummikub and it was so much fun! We had played almost every night. One night I even doubled my ending score from the previous night. I tried to triple it on the third night but sadly I didn't. One night we were talking about my grandparents time in the Philippines when my grandfather was stationed over there. I asked what they had missed the most while living overseas. They both said family, and they told me some funny stories about their time there.

If I had never asked I would've never known about who my grandparents were before they became my grandparents. So many people have their own stories to tell but they aren't being shared. During my time with my grandparents my phone wasn't my main focus. Sure I was on it at times, but it didn't take up my whole focus. Many people nowadays are so focused on themselves and their phones that they don't enjoy life to its fullest.

Sadly, my grandparents are getting older and a few of their friends have passed on. I would feel horrible if one day they were gone and I didn't spend any time with them because I was so focused on what my Facebook feed was and what silly things my friends were posting on Snapchat and Instagram. We as a society need to let go of our phones and live in the moment and be with family because you never know when something might happen.

My advice is that you spend real time with the people around you and learn their stories, see what life was like for them growing up because it was probably a whole lot different than how you grew up. Family is the most precious thing in the world and no matter what, family will always be there for you through the good times and the bad.