Whether you love them or you hate them, you cannot deny the importance of them. Throughout my short 20 years on this earth, I’ve learned many things, but one of the most important things I’ve learned throughout my life is that family is not just the most important thing, it is everything.

But, let’s be honest. Nobody’s family is perfect and of course, like any functioning dysfunctional family we would have our ups and downs but that never stopped us from caring about and loving each other. But, even though I knew family meant caring for one another growing up, I always thought the concept of family was weird.

I found it interesting that you couldn’t choose your family, but you could choose your closest friends that would become your “adopted family”. I just didn’t understand how unconditional love could be limited to blood relation and quickly learned that family is not defined and limited to those who are related by blood. Families are the people who are there for you through thick and thin, on good days and bad, no matter what.

They see you at your happiest and darkest times and they see you through all the pain and all of the hurt. I remember there were so many times growing up where I had come home after a rough day, feeling worthless and alone. But as soon as I walked through my front door and was greeted by my family, all those feelings of worthlessness and loneliness would disappear. It seemed almost magical that their love could heal even the dreariest of days.

Family is so much more important than just a support system. They are the people who know you the best and bring out the best in you. Whether it's teaching you right from wrong, helping you through life's obstacles and daily dilemmas or being a rock they help shape who you are. Whether we like it or not our family is part of who we are and they should be embraced, no matter the flaws that come with them.

In the words of author Jim Butcher; “When everything goes to hell, the people who stand by you without flinching -- they are your family.” At the end of the day, no matter what I am experiencing in my life, no matter what I am battling or how angry I may get at them, my family is there for me.

They offer the best and worst unsolicited advice, and somehow always seem to know what's going on without me ever even having to open my mouth. If I ever need to cry, they will happily embrace me and wipe my tears and if I ever need a good laugh, they are always somehow readily available with some horribly good jokes. They are a powerful force that cannot be shaken and no matter how many times I may have tried to push my own family away, they’re not going anywhere and truthfully I don’t want them to.