When something exciting happens in your life, the people you can't wait to tell all about it-- those are probably your best friends. My best friends just happen to be my siblings and parents.

Sometimes I feel lame - like, these people are related to me, so they have to like me. But that's not true. So many people do not have strong relationships with their relatives, and that reality should make me reconsider how I take my family for granted sometimes.

When family members are your best friends, you can look forward to going home each day. It's there that you get to spend quality time with those who care most about you. It's there that you receive comfort and help in struggles. And it's there that these friends share in your joys as you share in theirs.

When family members are your best friends, memories run as deep as your common roots. You know each other's facial expressions, triggers for anger, and lifelong dreams, as any friends that have known each other for decades. Somehow you learn not just to coexist but to make each other laugh and to serve each other in all sorts of ways.

The two categories of friends and family need not be separate, so don't feel like you have "no friends" if you find all the close relationships you need and want in your home.