Importance of Family

This will be our final blog post for the fall 2016 class session.  Everyone has a version of one.  Families can be the best or worst thing that has happened to us.  We hope they are supportive, respectful, loving, kind, accepting and overall positive influences on us and our upbringings.  This entry is dedicated to our units we call families.  The students will simply talk about their families and what the family means to them.  This seems like a very appropriate blog, considering Thanksgiving will be here in a few weeks.  We hope you enjoy our family blog entries.
A5 students, please write about your families.  Write about why they are important to you, and why.  Please include pictures or anything else you want to include.  This is an open topic about our families.  Enjoy

Mr. Epple's Family

I was raised in Phillipsburg, New Jersey by my parents Bill and Ruth Epple.  I have two younger brothers, Jon and Ryan Epple.  We spent every weekend at my grandparents in Pennsylvania, helping take care of their farm (cutting grass, fixing broken things, keeping the fields clean, etc.)  I hated doing it as a kid, but as I got older I ended up loving going over there and spending time on the farm.  

My brother's and I always played together, especially outdoor football.   We also played Transformers and GI Joe together.  My family celebrated Thanksgiving at my grandparents farm and it was always a big deal.  We had the annual Epple Thanksgiving Football game (which everyone played in) and had over 40 family members come to Thanksgiving (that tradition still exists to this day).  Birthdays were always fun, but what we love the most was Christmas.  It was always a challenge to see the "Santa" presents without getting caught.  My brother's and I would try and get in the living room (where the presents were) and my father would try and catch us.  As the years went on my father's strategies became more intense, as did our attempts to get in.  The best year, was when my father built a box wall that covered the entire entry way into the living room.  He wrote "The Wall" on the boxes, after his favorite band, "Pink Floyd."  When we attempted to get in, bells rang (that were attached to the wall and my father was on the other side of the wall.  The bells woke him up and he proceeded to shoot us with at water gun, through small holes in "The Wall."  

My family taught me to work hard, study, be kind, be honest and be respectful.  They taught us that everyone is a person and everyone matters.  I have taken my upbringing into my current life, as a teacher.  I believe in the same philosophy about life.  I am very passionate about teaching my classes the important things in life about being a respectful, caring, conscientious, and active human being.  We read the novel, "Tuesday with Morrie," for that reason.

I try and bring my upbringing into my life with my family.  I am raising three little girls: Ruthie, Rita and Peyton to be kind, caring and most of all respectful/ loving of themselves.  I want their choices to be ones that ensure their futures will have every option available to them.

My wife is also an inspiration to me.  She is an independent artist who is creating works of art to inspire, but more so to make people aware of very important social issues.  She was an art teacher, that has since retired from teaching to follow her true passion: creating meaningful art.  She works hard and I know her passion for her art is important for her and our society.  I believe in her.

In closing, I could continue, but that is not the point of this blog.  I wanted to give you all a little glimpse into my family's world.  A little about my background and a little about today.  Thank you for reading.  Wishing you all the best and safe journeys.