Simple Bliss[:

I cannot recall one moment where there wasn't noise in my home.  Actually, that's a lie, when our Dad takes a certain tone, you knew you needed to pretend to be invisible.  Tension would fill the house, & it was quiet enough to hear the old man 3 houses down snoring. Hahaha But other than that, for the most part, our home was always "awake & full of life."  

We would stay up super late to watch a "Friends" marathon while studying for our tests, or we would be awake all night making cookies for our science fair projects, or wake up extra early to curl our hair for the FREE (no reason) hahaha, or wake up extra early to go "running" which would just turn into an extra long walk. . . but no matter what time of the day, I could guarantee that there was always someone awake, someone eating, or someone simply sprawled out on our couch talking about LIFE. I could also guarantee our door was always open and this is a literal expression, because the lock on our door is broken. Hahaha  

But, this is typically what our days consisted of growing up: The piano would start rotation at 6 am every morning, & if not, we had our mother standing at the top of the stairs loudly speaking to us to get on the piano & she wouldn't stop until she heard those keys making some kind of noise.  We would wake up, get dressed for school & then EVEN when we were running 10 minutes late, my parents made sure we said family prayer.  We would kneel down & cross our fingers that it was one of the younger kids' turns to pray because they kept their prayers to a maximum of 20 seconds.  But it never failed, whenever we were late, it was either my mom or dad's turn. Hahahaha #TheStruggle

We would go to school, and we would have practice after school for our different sports or clubs or plays or musicals.  So when we got home varied for each of us, but by 9 pm, dinner would FINALLY be on the table and we would eat & continue on with our night.  & Repeat it all over.

I bring light to the way our family ran things because I hated to it so much going through it.  I hated waking up early, I hated family prayer, and I was probably the biggest brat of all my siblings.  #NoShame.  I will admit this & I will own it. Hahahaha But looking back now, my heart is humbled. & I couldn't picture a life of MORE simple bliss than the one that I have lived.  I couldn't picture my life without these memories or the people who were apart of them.  I am HUMBLED to come from a family of such dedication and commitment to trying to become better. (Although 99.9% of the time we failed. Hahahaha We T R I E D <----- that's what matters, right?)

Earlier this week I watched these videos about over populating, birthrates, and fertility.  I was enlightened about severe consequences that we will be seeing because people,around the world, don't want to have kids.  For whatever reason they aren't having kids, it's causing our world more harm than good.  Yeah, I can see some of your faces now & I can read your minds, "Having less kids is a good thing.   Kids are a lot of work, a lot of money, and take a lot of time.   With less people on the Earth, we'll have more resources."  Yes, you are right.  It makes logical sense, we will have more resources, & without kids, we could live a much more successful and fulfilling life!

But think about this:  The less kids we have, means the more elderly we have.  What happens when those elderly want to retire?  There aren't enough kids to replace them.  Which means that since there are more elderly than youth, retirement age has to increase and the workload is increased as well.  Which means that when MY kids start to work, they will have to work HARDER to makeup for the missing hands in the work field.  

T H I N K 

A B O U T IT

I've heard it time and time again that my parents were selfish for having so many kids.  I went back to Colorado this past weekend for my youngest brothers baptism.  He is the last one of our fourteen, and as I attended his baptism, I looked around at my siblings and I couldn't help but feel the utmost respect and gratitude for my parents.  As I watched my siblings interact with each other and the way they carry themselves, I just thought back to the way that my parents taught us and the many life experiences that we've had, that have molded us and shaped us.

I thought back to the videos and thought back to how important it is to understand the sacrifices that will have to be made, but also the benefits that come from having kids.  The number of kids you have is your decision, but refraining from having kids is more of an uneducated decision than anything else.  It's also not just about having kids, but about the way that you prepare for them, and the way you raise them.

I don't know if my parents were "informed" about the way to raise their kids.  I don't know if my parents had a clear understanding of the benefits that come from having kids. But I like to think that they had so many kids because they had a bigger picture in mind. I like to think that they THOUGHT ABOUT THINGS. & whether they did or did not, I am eternally grateful for their sacrifices and their decision to have so many kids because I cannot picture my life without ANY of the people I am blessed to call my siblings.

My dad is very spiritual, & I admire that about him.  He has his moments where the "natural man" kicks in and his emotions get the best of him. but more often than not, I can see this passion to become better and to do better in him.  Every Christmas, we get the same shindig . . . but every Christmas, it rings a little more true to me. He says, "There is no way that I am able to provide for all of you if it wasn't part of the plan."  

My dad is a landscaper.  He owns his own business and sweats and bleeds for every dime he has to his name.  LOGICALLY, we shouldn't have a roof over our heads, or food on our table.  LOGICALLY, he should have NEVER been able to feed a total of 17 mouths. . . unless there was a higher being to help him along the way.  It doesn't make sense to me, and I know that it definitely doesn't make sense to my parents, but they have always said that as long as they trusted in something bigger than themselves, they would always figure out a way to make ends meet.

I look back to my childhood and there are a lot of things that I wish were done differently, but at the same time, I have this new appreciation and respect for my parents.  I know that they are human and they make mistakes, & while we are learning to become better, so are they.  There are plenty of ways to teach kids and to teach them to become upright people, and my parents did the best they could.  Regardless of how much people criticize and critique them . . . I am grateful for them and I am gaining a better understanding about how hard they have tried to teach us to be better.  They are imperfect and they are learning just like us. . .

I reflect on my life thus far and I couldn't picture it without any one of my siblings.  I can't picture my life without my nieces and nephew who came from my oldest sister Sipinga.  I can't picture not having someone educated and smart to look up to like Vanessa.  I can't picture not having a sound board or someone to soothe my nerves and calm my heart rate like Pu'a.  I can't picture not having someone to annoy me or RAISE my blood pressure the way Matagi does.  I can't picture not having someone to make me laugh as hard as Sina makes me.  I can't picture not having someone to bust out and make fun of the way I do to Lani.  I can't picture a better best friend than AnaJane.  I can't picture someone who tolerates my weirdness and still loves me the way Takui does.  I can't picture having more obedient and kind hearted sisters than Eita and Iole.  & my heart would be incomplete if I didn't have more devoted, big hearted LITTLE brothers, who treat me with more respect than any other men I've come across, named Vita, Toa, and Ammon.  The way that they impact my life and the way that they influence my decisions, is beyond anything that I can explain.  They are who I am and they are my W O R L D.  They have brought my life such simple bliss and whether my parents knew what they were getting into or not, I am bound to them for eternity & am forever grateful for each and every one of them!

I'm not saying go out & start a family RIGHT now, I'm just saying, 

T H I N K 

A B O U T 

I T

Til you read again,

-me <3