Spending time with the ones who care

Being away from home, its rough to not have parents when times are hard. Parents say they are only a phone call away, but it is not the same. There isn't that feeling of comfort when you need it.

But I been quite fortunate with the people I call family while living in Iowa because they have been the world to me. It seems as if we can't do anything without each other. If one person wants to go eat at the cafeteria at a certain time and others wants to another, we just yell and converse and come up with a conclusion some how.

I been a part of something special. Being part of a Final Four team in junior college baseball was pretty amazing. I wouldn't give up the memories or the people on the team for the world. Everyone of them are like a brother to me, even though I have seem to distant away for them since moving out to Cedar Rapids.

But being out here at Mount Mercy and living on my own with people I have never met, I never thought I would build a close relationship with anyone. But when people have your back and pick you up when you are down, you start to look at things differently. And that's how my dysfunctional family at Mount Mercy is. We always say that they are like family, or second family. And this is, literally my second family.

Speaking of family, my mother and sister's came out to Cedar Rapids to watch me play on Senior day, which is in couple of hours from now.

I think the last time my mother saw me play was in high school.

She did come to one of my games when I was playing for El Camino College, but I was a red shirt then.

I got to spend time with my mother and sisters these past couple of days. I never seen my mother so relaxed and enjoying time away from life.

For those of you who do not know my mother, she was a house wife before she divorced my father. Then she had to get a job to support my two sisters and I on her own. Ever since then, she has been on the grind; just non-stop work. I remember in high school, I never saw her throughout the week because she would be working early mornings shift that would last until late nights. The only time I saw her was on Saturdays, if I didn't have any baseball games or band competitions.

But just seeing my mother laughing away and having a good time, it put me in a better mood.

I am glad my mother made it out for Senior day this weekend. I don't get to see her everyday now and for her to see me play baseball just one more time before my college career ends, it's a dream come true.

Dont take those people who care for you for granted because you never know what you had until it's gone. Take time to appreciate and thank them for all the things they have done for you.

-Jun

Special shout out to my mother, Yumiko and two sisters, Haruka and Azusa!