This I Believe

I believe in commitment to family no matter what. A family needs each other to get through life. Not only do they have to be there during the happy moments but also the sad and tough moments. I would do anything for my family and I know they will always be there for me if I need them.
Over the summer my family found out that my grandfather needed open heart surgery. He is eighty six years old and we were worried he would not make it through the surgery. However, it was something that needed to be done. So they met with the doctor and scheduled the surgery for the end of July. My uncle lives in Michigan but he took off from work and took the long ten hour drive so he could be there with my grandfather. On the day of the surgery, which was a Friday, everyone drove to the hospital and got my grandfather ready. He was practically in the operating room when an emergency came in and he had to be rescheduled. His surgery was now Monday. They allowed him to go home for the weekend because my uncle is a doctor and could watch over him. My whole family spent most of their weekend at his house making sure he was always comfortable. My uncle was suppose to leave to go back to work on Monday but instead stayed until Wednesday so he could be there for my grandfather.
After the surgery my uncle returned home and continued on with his regular schedule. However, my mother’s life was turned upside down. Everyday she drove my grandmother to a distant hospital because she is not able to drive due to her age. She spent most of her day there to keep him company and help him get through the day. On a few occasions, I drove down there and spent my day with him. Except for at night, there was never a time he didn’t have somebody he knew in his room with him. After being released from the hospital, he was sent to a rehabilitation center. Since the center was nearby, my mom just visited for a short time everyday. My grandmother spent her whole day there. Everyday on my way to work I would stop by for a short time to talk with him.
My grandfather has recovered from the surgery but is still working on getting better. Not once did anybody in my family give up on him. I believe in commitment to family no matter what. Our whole family gave up time to be with him not because we had to but because we wanted to.