We are born into this group of random people called a "family." We do not get to choose who we are related to, but we grow to love each and every one of them. Family is not something to take for granted; some do not have a family. Your parents, grandparents, great-grandparents and so on love you more than you know. Your siblings, too.

At times it may not be shown.

Your brother may joke around and literally sit on you while "babysitting." You bully each other and get into fights about extremely stupid stuff. Whose turn is it to unload the dishwasher? Definitely not mine. *20-minute argument until mom intervenes*

You piss your parents off from time to time. Whether it be not cleaning your room, hiding your clean clothes under your bed because you absolutely do not want to put them away, or not doing a homework assignment or two (WHOOPS!!). Despite the few things you may or may not do to make them slightly upset, they love you endlessly.

Some say I have big shoes to fill, and I am not hesitant to agree.

Though I have screamed I hated them a few too many times throughout our childhood (never my youngest brother, though, my dog is perfect in every way), I am truly proud of what my brothers have accomplished.

These past few years, one graduated from The United States Military Academy, USMA, in West Point, NY, was in the 82nd infantry for five years and received his masters in mechanical engineering from Cornell in Ithaca, NY. My other brother just graduated from the University of South Carolina's Pharmacy School with his PharmD after six years of hard, determined work.

It's fine, I'm fine. No biggie.

I am endlessly proud of these boys. No matter the difficulty that has come their way, they persevered and successfully made it to the place in life they want to be. One of my brothers was in and out of the hospital his sophomore year and was told he may have to put school on hold for a year. He was not going to let that fly. He fought, proved everyone wrong and graduated on time. I could never imagine dealing with grad-level coursework while hurting so much.

My parents, too.

My mom has earned a bachelors, masters from the University of Virginia (UVA) and doctorate in nursing from Case Western Reserve University. My dad also attended USMA in West Point, NY, and earned his masters from UVA as well. Both of my parents reared me to be the person they want to see grow and achieve greatness as they have. Though they did want to see one of us walk the lawn on graduation day, so sorry it was not for me.

I always say that it should not take a tragedy to show you how precious life truly is. Without my family, I would not be the person I am today.

I recently lost my grandfather. Someone who made an effort to be at every big family event whether it was a graduation, wedding, or so on. I love visiting my grandparents. Hearing the old family stories, stories of how life was years ago, or looking through old family photos, there is never a dull moment at their house. I am incredibly sad that my grandpa is not with us anymore, but the memories of the times I spent with him will forever be some of my favorite.

No matter what fight you are in or mood swing you may be having, tell your loved ones that you are proud of them and that you cannot wait to see them again. These are the people that will never break your heart or hurt you on purpose. They will be there for you always, remember that.

Love your family members just as much as you love yourself!