"The Day that Changed Everything" by Kayla F

As the day was coming closer, the more I dreaded the next sunrise.
It started with boxes appearing in my house that were waiting to be built and taped. which the
whole family helped with. They covered up the entire living room and kept piling up. The next
thing was the disappearance of the items that I had grew accustomed to growing up with, from
the furniture to the silverware. It was suddenly gone, like it had vanished into thin air.
Before I knew it the day came, and reality set in. My eyes began to fill with tears when saying
goodbye and seeing them off. It was the hardest thing I have ever had to do.

This is my story.

I come from a family of six; my mom, dad, and my three older brothers. I am the youngest which
always allowed me to rely on my family members throughout my life. I had grown accustomed
to the big family environment, and I always admired how close my family is and felt extremely
lucky. That is not the case anymore, because at the end of my junior year my dad got a job
opportunity that he couldn’t refuse to move up to Oregon. Our family discussed it, although we
knew it would be hard we didn’t want to take this amazing opportunity away from him.
However, I had the idea of leaving friends, family, and the thought of an epic senior year in my
mind which was the last thing that I wanted. It shattered the end of my junior year, and that was
all I could think about no matter how much I didn’t want to. In the end, I convinced my parents
to let me stay after I made it onto Dance Company, which had been my goal throughout high
school. This gave me a rollercoaster of emotions including being grateful, heartbreak, and guilt. I
was extremely grateful for my parents allowing me to have my dream senior year with my
friends and to have the opportunity to be on the dance team. I cannot be more grateful for my
dance family, because they are always there pushing me to be the best I can be as a dancer and a
person, so thank you if any of you are reading! A contrasting feeling was heartbreak because my
family was going to be split and it would not be the same in the place that I called home, because
of the absence of those personalities in my life would cause my daily activities to change. Guilt
was one of the biggest things I had to accept. This is because I knew how much my mom and
dad wanted me to move up there and I had the worst time telling them I couldn’t be as happy
living with them as I could finishing my senior year at Etiwanda with people that have changed
my life. In the end, my mom, dad, and one of my brothers moved up to Oregon. I have also had
to change who I live with, my grandparents are now moved into my house and are helping take
care of me along with my other two brothers. I have had to adapt to changes and make sacrifices
to stay at Etiwanda, but I also realize that this loss of a part of my family has also altered my
senior year as not being as fantastic as it could've been because of their absence.

My family, although not the same, is adapting and becoming stronger through this struggle. Even
though I chose to stay in Southern California away from my family, I have realized there is
nothing in the world more important than family, and that we should appreciate and cherish
every moment that we are able to spend with them. I cannot wait to continue senior year with my
friends and to stay positive to make it the best I can, but I know a part of it will always be
missing without my family here to experience it with me.