Three years ago, last March, I lost my big brother. It was an obstacle I could have never envisioned but it changed my life forever. When you lose someone dear to you, the world changes immediately and you see everything in a different light. It’s like the world shifts into slow motion. Although the grief set me back, the change in my focus pushed me forward many years. I will never be able to express my gratitude to my brother, Jack, for his life having such a great influence. However, my new ability to step back and see his impact on my life forever changed me for the better.

             There are many things in my life that I credit to my brother.  One of which is my sense of humor and my interests. Most of what I laugh stems from him. His nerdy humor lives on through my younger sister and me. Even though I have five other siblings, it was Jack, my sister and I who were the closest. We spent almost all of our summers hanging out together. Playing video games, creating Claymation, hiking in forests, jumping on the trampoline, reading scary stories, watching movies and endless other activities. Jack was my sister and I’s mentor and I believe to this day, everything that we do stems from what we did with our older brother. My mother tells me that his life lives on through our and I always think about that. His interests, personality were passed onto my life and I never noticed it until he had gone. There’s and inexplicable bond between me and my younger sister and I believe it is due to Jack. To me, that is something special, something that really makes me appreciate my life.

                My life choices, perspective and most importantly my values had altered after the death of my brother. After Jack passed away, I took into account how truly precious life and family is. There is nothing more important to me than my family. The idea of losing another loved one, or even losing their trust or respect terrifies me. I value their life more than anything. I have a renewed sense of value for my own life. Everyday I go to school  make sure i wear my seatbelt on and my mirrors are in place. Any time I go out with friends or on a social outing I do my best to give my every location to my parents. I also don’t let  a moment go by without cherishing it. I value gaining perspective and staying positive because I see a lot of kids my age who were sizably ignorant of the world around them. Many of my peers take for granted everything they have, most importantly their education. My brother was extremely intelligent person. School was too easy for him and he barely studied because he easily would get good grades on his exams. He could have been a straight A student but did put the work in with his homework. When I find myself wanting to give up on homework I think of Jack’s lost potential and I push myself to continue working. I do this because I shouldn’t take anything for granted in my life because my brother lost his.

                 Everyday I find living reminder of Jack. It may be a lone bird flying across the ocean or a billboard sign of an advertisement of a game Jack once played. When I see these things I always think about his life and how significant he was to me. It allows me to reflect in a deep way the value of life. Losing a loved one not only affects your day to day existance but also your future and how you grow. I push myself to dream big and push even harder everyday because I have a life worth living. Everyday, I love my family and practice what I value. Every day, I take time to take in my surroundings, enjoy the view and in remembrance of Jack.