What values of yours have remained the same?

I have learned my life lessons through  three different windows.  On my father's side, I learned about trust, although not through the way I would've hoped.  From the first time my father fell out of his promises I learned how lasting distrust can be. He always ran out on us, and I was never sure about where life was going to go with him.  He was abusive, and irresponsible.  You'll never learn the pain that dishonesty can cause until you've been lied to yourself.  It's not the easiest way to learn, but the emotion sure is lasting.  Through all that though, I've learned what I carry with me even today.  It only takes one chance to ruin the trust you have with someone, but a lifetime to repair it. 

The next lesson I learned was through my mother, and that was for hope.  Even though she was forced into an arranged marriage, lied to, abused, and all but discarded, she still had hope for a better life for her and her children.  She took life one step and one day at a time.  She did the best she could every day, working 15 hours and still having enough hope to put on a smile and tuck us in at night.  She is my hero, and every day she would tell me that if nothing went right one day, all we can do is work hard and hope for tomorrow.  All four of her kids are now in college, and she remarried. 

The last lesson I learned about is love through my brothers and sisters.  Being in a bad situation can really bring about the true character in a person.  In this case,  the years we went through together with our parents and all the problems we stuck through together, I don't think you could find a closer group of siblings.  Even through the bad times, we still stuck together. They gave up oppurtunities that they would never get just so I could have a better chance at success.  Even though I was very young and didn't know it at the time, they gave up more for me than all three of them combined would ever recieve at that stage in life.  Love is caring for that person enough to give them what they need most in life, even if it takes away from the giver.  It's selfless and honest.  But most of all, it's lasting and true.  A day doesn't go by where I don't appreciate my siblings and all they have done for me, and my love for them only grows with each day.