People all around the world are living in poverty. People are dying of hunger; they do not have homes, jobs, or sometimes even a family. But it always seems that people who seem to have nothing, have something that they appreciate. There is that one special thing that makes them happy.
I could go for hours listing the things that I appreciate the most. Things like family, friends, an education, and a house that I can come home to. Everybody appreciates these kind of things because we need them. But I could not appreciate any of these things without my parents. They are the people I appreciate the most.

I don't have a lot. But I have enough. I grew up in a large family of twelve. Ten kids and my parents. Because there were so many of us, things had to be shared and money was usually tight. My parents couldn't buy all the accessories and stuff for all of us. But we had the basics. I had a bed, clothes, hot shower, food, a home, and most importantly, I had a family. A family who loved me and supported me with everything I did. And I appreciated everything that I had. Even though my parents couldn't give me everything, they gave me what I needed.

When I was little, I was just like any regular kid. I watched movies, played games, and loved spending time outside with my siblings and neighbors. Just like most kids, if my friend had something cool, I wanted it too. Little kids are selfish. If they see something they want, they will beg for it until they get it. I didn't beg a whole lot because I knew my parents didn't care. Once they said no, all the begging in the world couldn't change their minds. So instead of begging, my birthday and Christmas lists would just be long and filled with all the stuff I thought was cool and what I needed. Except every birthday and Christmas, I would maybe get one of those cool things and all my other presents would be clothes, books, or something else that would be useful in life; but I didn't realize it's importance until much later on.

It wasn't until eight or ninth grade when I really started to understand the important things in life. Important things such as family, friends, and school. I started to develop better relationships with my siblings. Relationships that hadn't been able to exist when I was really young. We grew closer and I started to appreciate my family more than I ever had. My relationships with friends also changed going into high school. In elementary school and middle school I had some good friends. But my friends were always changing as we grew older. Going into high school I really started making good, solid friendships with people and growing closer with others. This really made an impact on me and allowed me to appreciate the power of friendship in my life.

Whether I want it to or not, life goes on. People die, others are born. Some people have it better than others but everyone should have that one thing that they appreciate. Whether it is family, friends, an education, or a roof over your head, it's important to appreciate the things you have and not worry about what you don't have. I have really learned this lesson over the years and now that I have started to actually apply it to my life, I have found that I am more happy and more appreciative of things that I never thought I would be.