Over the course of a lifetime, people will go in and out of your life. Time passes, people change, and distance separates. You may not be as close to your current best friends later in life, or you may be even closer. Who knows. However, the people that you can count on forever with the utmost certainty are the members of your family.

Your siblings, parents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents all make up a giant support network. These people have known you and loved you since you were born and would do anything for you. In a toss up between friends and family, family always wins. This is simply because part of your role as a family member is to be loyal and supportive, as they are to you.

There are so many special moments that you share with your family. From vacations to holidays to weddings to birthdays, every get-together is a special treat. The cousin sleepovers as kids, the Thanksgiving traditions, the home videos—all of you share special memories that are unique to your own family. No one can replace the fond times that you all shared for years and can look forward to for years to come.

Your family members are your biggest cheerleaders. Looking into the crowd at your graduation, high school basketball game, or dance recital, you know that they are there encouraging you. They also truly love watching you do something you love to do. They don’t get jealous or try to bring you down; family members get great joy out of seeing you succeed and achieve genuine happiness.

Not only are they there for you in great times of triumph, but they are also there for you at your lowest points. They know you better than anyone else, and they can tell how you are feeling even if you don’t vocalize it. You can tell them anything and they will provide you with not only advice, but often a different and much wiser perspective. You can be your truest self around your family because no matter what happens, they will always have your back. Tension and problems within families must always be resolved—in the end, you are all each other have.

So take this moment to appreciate your family. Especially if your family is close, realize how lucky you truly are. You have an aggregation of people who love you for you, and that is the greatest blessing of all.