The Absence of a Loved One

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Recommended: Military children and psychological problems

I cannot describe it. That feeling… The feeling of losing a loved one to the military. It is like a sudden pain in your chest that some doctors would diagnose as a heartache, while others would just call it heartbreak. It’s a feeling that not many can say they have experienced unless they have been through it themselves. My entire life I have been surrounded by people who would give up the world just to see me smile, people who would jump through hoops to help me prosper, and people that would be by my side throughout every obstacle in my life that tries to drag me down. One of those people is my brother, Jacob. Throughout this essay I will describe the leaps and bounds that I have been through with my brother that has made me into the person I am today. My life isn’t a fairytale, and I don’t try and act like it is, but if I were to pick the best family to be born into I would still pick mine. I was born on August 4, 1994 into a family of five. I have two brothers, Sean who is the oldest, then there’s Jacob and last but not least there’s me, the baby. A couple days after I was born my parents took me home, placed me on the couch and one of the first things Jacob every said about me were “Put her on the floor, mommy. Put her on the floor.” Thus began mine and my brothers relationship. Growing up I spent countless hours delving into trouble at the hands of my brother. Wherever he went I would also want to go, whatever he did I would also want to try. Now, Sean was a different story, since he was almost five years older than me I didn’t cling to him as much; however, we were the three amigos. I can recall countless hours making roads in the dirt for our 20 hot wheels, bathing in the sun on those hot summer days, and making ... ... middle of paper ... ... needed to savor the moment with my brother before I turned around and he was gone. I opened the doors to see my brother standing there arms opened wide. His embrace and the love he showed me was one that could be felt among anyone standing there, kind of like a ripple after a pebble has been tossed in the water. How could I ever let go? “I’ll be okay, Kara, and I’ll see you sooner than you know it.” he reassured me as I started to pull away. As I walked to the elevator I turned around and saw him standing there lifting his hand to wave me goodbye. The moment was touching enough to make any person cry, and that was the last time I saw my brother for eight weeks. This impacted a lot of who I am today. I learned to not take things for granted, especially family. This has taught me to live in the moment and appreciate everything in life, no matter how big or how small.

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