Families are about love overcoming emotional torture. — Matt Groening Sometimes it's nice to just be alone. To hear what is going on in your head and not what is in everybody else’s. Yet after a while, that one voice can become a bit lost, as the conversation lags without others. On my mother's side, I have a very large extended family. And in every essence of the word, we are family. It would be very hard to imagine having a smaller pool of people to see at reunions, at events or just around town. In many ways, they are an extension of me. There are so many experiences that I have had with these people that would be hard to recreate with others. Recently, we were having dinner at a restaurant, and I realized that I wasn't sure what kind of drink I wanted. Having arrived a little later than the rest, every single one of my relatives offered a sip of theirs. And I willingly tried them all. Most often, I wouldn't dare, as germs and cooties are catching — but it's family.