Family Values and Connections

Today, I realized a lot about the importance of family, and how their absence can affect us in many ways.

My family is from a part of Inida called Kerala. It is on the western tip of India, and is a very small state. Not many people outside of India have heard about it, but it's truly an amazing place. The good thing about Kerala is that everyone is connected. It has a very important sense of community and family, and you learn good family values. Though I did not grow up there, I learned from my parents and hope to pass these values along to my children.

But, today, I went to visit my grandpa's grave, and I saw that by my grandpa's grave, there were three other gravesites for people from Kerala that are very close to my grandpa's. Though I still cry sometimes when I think about it, though it's been eight years, it comforts me to know that there are people who are so close to him with their graves by him.

The point of this is to discuss just how important and valuable family is to the people where I'm from. So, in your family, what is something that connects you? What values keep you together?