16. Family

I am the oldest of 7 and have 4 younger brothers, so growing up my house was somewhat chaotic, but at the same time it was almost perfect.
When I was younger, my sister and I didn't get along very well. But then a few years ago, we stopped sharing the same room and it was like magic for us! My sister is one of my best friends. We could do anything together. With my brothers, now that they are getting older, I've also been able to form better relationships with them. I love when I would get home from work on a summer afternoon and one of them would run down the drive way, jump in my car and we would sit in the car, dancing to the radio. Although siblings don't always get along, they can be great friends. My mom always tells us that someday when we're older all of us will be great friends and will appreciate each other more. Some days, that time seems far away, but other days I really can see what she's talking about.
I love that I know that my family is there for me. A few years ago, my whole family got very sick over Christmas break. There was one miserable night where everyone had been super sick and slowly one by one all of us had crept into my parents bedroom. I remember my whole family sitting on my parents bed at 2 in the morning, and we were all laughing because we were all sick together. That memory should be a bad one, but it's almost one of the fondest memories I have of my family, because even though no one felt good, we were all there for each other. How grateful I am that families are forever!!