Value StatementIn life, the family we choose is who we rely on the most. While we may love our parents, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, and grandparents there are many things that we would never go to them about. I, especially, lean on the few people that I call my friends quite a bit. Without them as a support network, I have no idea what I would do.
My step brother is one of the best friends I have ever had. He is also one of the most kind and sincere human beings that I will probably ever meet. I go to him for everything. Advice, words of wisdom, a confidence boost, whatever I need he is there for me. His name is Zach and I will be there for him till the end. Zach and I didn't always get along. Believe it or not, he used to think I was a snobby little brat. Thinking back on it, I totally was. What initially brought us together was when he and his mother moved to Virginia Beach to live with my father and I. He started going to the same school as me, Corporate Landing Middle School. Everyone is a victim of bullying at some point in life, and the same was true for Zach and I at Corporate Landing. I was short and really chubby. He was ridiculously tall and had long blonde hair. Kids, being the ruthless punks they are began picking on both of us immediately. I was used to it, from years and years of torture. Zach took it in stride and ignored it, until one day a kid took it a little too far when joking on me. At this point I was angry, but apparently Zach was angrier. He stampeded through what little kids blocked his path and stood his ground in front of me and totally lost it. I've never heard anyone yell that loudly, or with that much force. Even though we never really got along, he still cared about me enough to stand up for me. To this day, we both utterly hate bullies and will not tolerate it. There has been more than one occasion where one of us, or both of us have made our presence known while around a bully and his victim. All because of that one intervention back in middle school, our morals and integrity were changed permanently. I no longer let anyone push me around. I'm not chubby anymore. I'm enlisted in the greatest fighting force the world has ever experienced, the United States Navy. Zach is not my only step sibling. I have two other step brothers, and two step sisters in addition to him. But he is the only one that I refer to as actual family. Zach is my brother. We have each others backs, always. He is my family, and I his. For this reason, I believe the family we choose is who we rely on the most. |