  Yes, family. We all have one, and most of us realize we can't escape them if we tried. For the longest time, I avoided mine and never really enjoyed being with them, and this was mostly due to the many traumas that were inflicted on me while I was growing up. While I don't have any inclination to share what those are, I can only assume that these negative events had a lot to do with the lack of closeness I feel with any family member. But now I'm older, and I have found my attitude changing towards my family. I owe this rethinking to two fairly recent experiencesn the last few years in which I observed what it's like to actually have that feeling of unity, though from an outsider's point of view: 1) when my husband's grandmother died, I saw his family come together to get through the ordeal of grieving and getting through the pain of losing a loved one, and 2)when a friend of mine turned 40 this year, I saw his family come out and celebrate with him.
Both instances made me reevaulate my attitude towards my parents and my brothers. I don't expect anything to really change that much with my family, but I find it interesting that I look at them in a different light. Love it or hate it, they are the source of who I am and where I started and who I'll turn to in the end.
And, even though not one member acknowledged our 10th wedding anniversary and I didn't even get a card from my twin this year for our birthday, I'm not bothered. They'll be there when the time comes, and that is a reassuring thought despite it all. 
