My Family: How My Son Changed My Life

My son, Jacob, was born on June 27, 1995. It was from this point forward, I would learn my most valuable lessons in life. I learned that, together, as a family, hopelessness could be overcome, the feeling of having a child succeed when all odds were stacked against them was boundless, and sometimes life seems most alive when taking a chance. My wife and I made sure everything was in place. We had a solid relationship and steady jobs, and in time, we were able to balance our debts and save enough money to keep us afloat for many months, just in case something were to go wrong. It was time to have our first child. Our son Jacob was born June 27, 1995. We were the happiest parents ever; ironically, it would only be a few short months before we found how dark the …show more content…
We were forged into one living organism, not by adversity, but to overcome it. At times when my wife was too spent to continue, I would take over. When I was too spent to continue, my wife would assume the responsibilities. Even during some very rough times, when both of us had reached our limits, it was our other family members that stepped in to offer the assistance we required. We propped each other up, and when a little light shone through, we were able to take a breather. Family is what matters. Short bouts with crisis take a toll on families, but prolonged crisis, like caring for a family member with a serious chronic ailment, requires certain attributes for a family to remain viable. For a family to survive, studies cite several core values that strong families possess, among them are; appreciation and affection for each other, commitment, positive communication, enjoy time together, spiritual well-being, and the ability to effectively manage stress (DeFrain, Friesen, Swanson and Brand