A Family and A Home

    I want to start this off with an introduction of myself. My name is Jacob Cline and I'm 21-years-old.  I was raised in a family of five--with my parents and two brothers. I was born and raised in Puyallup, Washington. When someone spends their whole life in one place it is considered their home. Thus I consider Puyallup my home. My memories have me in the same place for everything important that has happened in my life. For me, it is full of memories.

    It was there in that home, that community, that I often played in the neighborhood streets with my brothers and friends. I played football, ran track, and learned the value of goal setting and pushing myself to be better. It was there that I gained a better understanding of the world I live in. And it was there I went to church and learned the beauty of kindness, service, and love. Needless to say Puyallup, Washington is my home, or it was until the day that I decided to leave my home to serve a two-year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I understandably was sad to leave my home behind, but I knew that it was only for a time, and then I would return.

    While I was in Chile something unexpected happened; my father received a good job opportunity and my family moved across the country to the Dallas-Fortworth area. When I heard the news I was thoroughly surprised. I thought of my home and all the memories there that I would not be able to return to. As I approached the end of my two-year service, I thought of my parents’ new house and wondered what it would be like to return to a place unfamiliar. A place that is nowhere near where I grew up, a place where the only people I would know are all in my family? 

    When I arrived, I made a surprising discovery. Even though the walls were different and the house was nothing like the place where I grew up, it was in fact my home. Though I would enjoy visiting the place where I grew up, I do not miss it as much as I thought I would. The reason is that I have the most important things with me, and that is my family. Being with my family is what makes a house a home. The bonds we share is what gives me a feeling of belonging. It is what makes me feel at ease. The effect that a family has is powerful. It is one of the most important things in this world. I am writing this blog with the purpose to put in writing my observations of the family, and its importance. In this day and age, it seems that the focus has been shifting away from the family, but the family is just as important, maybe even more with what is happening in this modern age.