I am grateful for my family. My point of origin. The foundation of my personality and world view. Nurturing and supporting me. Grateful for the love of my family. A safe port on the stormy sea of life. My family provided a model for me to eventually cultivate my own version of the family.
I've often thought that the family unit was somewhat unusual in that it is a group of people you probably wouldn't hang around with if they were not your family. Maybe there is something in our genetic makeup that compels us to form families for the purpose of procreation and survival of our species. We are not the only species that form lifelong family connections - other primate species, elephants, killer whales, dolphins, wolves, and lions also form family units. Some probably do a better job of supporting their elderly members than many human families.
Not everyone has a positive family experience. No families are perfect. They reflect both the good and evil of human nature. Many social problems can likely be traced back to family issues. We can do a better job of supporting families in our community and helping others overcome the challenges of having been raised in a dysfunctional family.
Families take many forms but the common element of a functional family is love. I am grateful to have been born into a loving family.