"Our most basic instinct is not for survival but for family. Most of us would give our own life for the survival of a family member, yet we lead our daily life too often as if we take our family for granted."

I have been thinking a lot about family recently. The role that one's family plays in their life, their definition of family, or their relationship with their family members can vary pretty widely from individual to individual. My parents moved close to their parents after my brother and I were born so that we could get to know our grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins as we grew up. I spent childhood birthday parties and holidays surrounded by extended family members. Most of the family was within in a five hour drive from Portland, where I grew up. I saw my grandparents on a regular basis, and built blanket forts with my cousins. My parents took my siblings and I on family trips whenever they had the opportunity. I grew up with a strong sense of family, and a strong love for my family. I am so thankful for the importance of family that my parents instilled in us. Now I live about one thousand miles away from my parents, but only five miles from my brother and a few hours from my sister. I have been able to spend a lot of time with my brother and his girlfriend over the last year and a half, and have been able to be part of my sister's freshman year of college more than I could have had I lived somewhere else. These are the times that I'll look back on fondly, before we have careers and families of our own that may take us further apart. Regardless, I know that we'll always be there for each other. My parents are incredibly encouraging and supportive, and I could never be venturing on to graduate school with the strong sense of self and family that I have without how they have raised me. Regardless of who you consider family, be it friends or blood relations, I hope that you regularly acknowledge that you couldn't be where you are or who you are without those people in your life who love you more than you know. I realize I am lucky to have my immediate family, extended family, and both sets of grandparents alive and well, and I know others aren't so fortunate. Families can be crazy, erratic, non-functional, and dramatic. But they are your family, and they love you for you.