Jenna Morasca

My family and high school friends were the only people who were with me every step of the way through my mothers' illness. They sat by my side year after year and consoled me. If they ever sent me a bill, I would be paying them off for the rest of my life.

In the game of 'Survivor', there is no time for regrets.

You forge different bonds with friends than with family, tell different secrets.

When you walk through the hospital, you waiver between feeling bad for everyone else and feeling bad for yourself. It's a war of the worlds — the healthy and the sick.

Family is a unique gift that needs to be appreciated and treasured, even when they're driving you crazy. As much as they make you mad, interrupt you, annoy you, curse at you, try to control you, these are the people who know you the best and who love you.

As human beings we value the experience that comes with age. We are reminded over and over again with statements like 'older and wiser' and 'respect your elders,' promoting age as something to be cherished and respected.

When you see how fragile and delicate life can be, all else fades into the background.

Being a caretaker is, and never will be, an easy job; in fact, it is that hardest job in the world and many times a thankless job. You have to be the pillar of strength even when you feel like you are crumbling to pieces inside.

One year, my good deed started with deciding to give all my friends makeup from a cruelty-free cosmetics line that I love. I did this with the hope that they would love it as much as I do and end up switching their makeup over to that cruelty-free line forever.

Let's get one thing straight — there is a big difference between a quitter and someone who gives up. Unfortunately, I have the right to make this claim because I fit into the category of 'quitter'.

When I played 'Survivor', I sat back many times and marveled that no one had gotten into a real physical altercation. With all the backbiting, lies, and lack of food, a fight didn't sound far off base, considering the strained and fragile emotions.

It is rewarding beyond words to rescue a dog from the shelter and have that dog become part of your family.