Growing up, I always thought every family was just like mine. I thought that everyone spent the majority of their weekends together, that they all had similar family traditions and had huge celebrations over such little events. I never realized how lucky I was/am to know that having a close family is something not everyone is blessed to have. I couldn’t imagine living my life any other way than with the memories my family has given me. My childhood is full of inside jokes with my cousins, little traditions, and trips to Grandma's house. I have spent more time with my family than with my friends over the course of my life and I wouldn’t change that for anything.
People don’t always realize how important my family is to me. I used to always hear things like “you’re going to see your family again?” or “you are always with them!” and in my head it was weird for someone to think that spending time with your family was a bad thing. We all get along so well that me not spending time with them almost seemed rude. Although it may not be for everyone, putting my family first will always be a priority of mine.
This is what having a close family means to me. It means, my cousins are my instant best friends. They are the only people in the world that when I know I will be spending time with them, it fills me with joy. It means constantly hearing how good looking you got every time they see you. It could be a day or a month, but my family will always tell me how beautiful I have gotten and if that doesn’t make someone feel good, I don’t know what would. It means having people other than your parents brag about you to their friends. I mean, I know I brag about my cousins constantly. I also have my special team of social media likers, so I know when I post something it will at least get 10 or more likes from them. I have people who will always be excited to see me and always be interested to hear about that snobby girl from class. Most importantly, I have the best support system in the world.
When you have a close family and something hits one of you, it actually hits all of you. You all feel so deeply for one another and the only thing you want to do is make that person feel good again. I know if I lost every one of my friends, I still wouldn’t face my problems alone, because my family will always be there. Nothing is too tough for us because we face it together and come out stronger. My family is also full of the most comforting people I know. They will always lift up my spirits no matter how low they are. They are truly amazing people.
I appreciate my family and I don’t know if they all know that or not. They made my life something truly amazing. I talk about them like everyone knows them, I share our stories as if people outside the family would care, I brag constantly. I don’t think I will ever be able to find any gesture big enough to show how much I love and appreciate the wonderful bunch I talk so highly about. I just want them to know how much love I have for them and no matter what, at the end of the day they will all always be my family!
