4: The Kho Family

The family is the center of the gospel.  So what constitutes a strong family?  A research article published in the New York Times shows that telling stories in the family not only makes for good dinner conversations but helps the children deal with challenges and overcoming stress.  This is because knowing your family's story helps you realize that you are part of something bigger, you actually feel like you belong somewhere.  The article also mentions that some activities done in the past should also be continued as traditions for the family.  As I thought about my life, I have come to the conclusion that I have either not faced any challenges and stress or I have just been able to deal with them. because of my family.  If the latter is the case, then according to this article, there must be some stories or traditions done in my family that have helped me.

This is my family.  I could talk forever about everything my family is to me but I'll just mention a few.  A tradition we have in our family is celebrating Chinese New Year.  I absolutely love this time!  We always eat dinner together but Chinese New Year is especially important.  When my brother and sisters and I were little, my mom and dad would always make cook the food, but now that we are older, we help out in the kitchen!  As a side note, the food is so yummy!  In addition to dinner, we receive red envelopes after we wish our parents a good year.  I treasure the efforts my parents make to help us children experience our culture while living halfway around the world!

Every summer, my siblings and I would sit around the dinner table and my mom would teach us: math, science, writing, etc.  We always put work before play so we weren't allowed to play until everything was done.  Though it was rough at first, sitting indoors instead of running around outside, I have learned so much from those summers: from each individual subject to controlling my inward desires.  The things I learned every summer were always more difficult than the material I learned at school the upcoming year so I learned how to study effectively on my own.  I also learned how to work fast and accurately so that I could get outdoors faster.  Regardless of my speed though, my mom was always so patient and stayed with us the whole time.

Every year in December, around Christmas time, my family would make a trip to temple square to see the lights and to take family pictures.  I remember some years it was really warm and other years, it was so cold my toes felt like they were going to fall off!  However, we now have pictures from every year that show us that we've always been together and that is something that I treasure so much.

My family is amazing and is so important to me.  In the end, though stories are great, I think the things I do with my family and the time we spend with each other really do strengthen our relationships and brings us closer together.  As a last thought, here is what The Family: A Proclamation to the World says about families:

"Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities."