Friday, January 08, 2010

The Importance of Family

PHOTO CAPTION: The boys hanging out at the library in Santa Clara.

I recently watched the movie Mi Familia with my wife and was reminded of the importance of family. My wife is currently taking a marriage and family class and asked me to watch this film to discuss it for her paper on the movie. I am glad that she asked me to watch it because it really moved me to think of what more I can do to cultivate a loving and caring environment in our home.

In the film a family goes through various trials and difficult times but in the end they work through these adversities. The main characters (the parents) demonstrate great love and grace for their children through the good and bad.

Family is a social group that has a great influence on people’s lives. The movie shows how family can have a very positive impact on an individual's life or a very negative impact. It highlights that family, and all that it can bring to a healthy life, must be respected and not ignorantly disregarded as not important.

The film reminded me that there will be struggles that we will face as a family and the importance of responding to those struggles with compassion and understanding. I want to be able to relate to my children and my wife; and I hope that I can impact them positively. I was reminded of how important the bond of a father with his children really is and how important it is that I be in their lives.

This movie gives the viewer a big picture of family by looking at a few generations of families and as a result gives us more perspective. I feel fortunate to have watched this movie as I am just starting a family of my own. The film also helped me appreciate the struggles that my parents went through and the sacrifices that they made for my brother and I.

My father once told me about a conversation that he had with a co-worker of his. He said that the co-worker told him that he wished he could be as rich as my father. My father looked at him confused and asked, "What do you mean?" The co-worker said, "You have a beautiful family. You are the richest person I know."

If we take care of our family and tend to it with care we will have riches and treasures that cannot compare to material riches. I strongly desire to invest in my family and see my children grow into reflections of God's love and grace. I desire to see this lived out in millions of homes. I believe that we can change the world one family at a time if we focus on family and commit to doing the hard work.

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3 comments:

Vibhuti Bhandarkar said...

IN this day and age of nuclear families, live-in relationships & more families falling apart..your post is truly heart warming..LOvely!
Thanks for touching on a true to life subject..:)

Eddie Zacapa said...

Vibhuti B - Your very welcome. Thanks for your affirming words.

Eddie

Unknown said...

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