Family is a sentence

I have a cousin who recently used the phrase "Family isn't a word- it's a sentence". I'm pretty sure she meant it negatively (for one since she is generally pretty negative and also because I know her father) but I've been thinking lately much more positively about family.
Someone asked me to imagine being an only child. I was surprised at just how depressing that thought was. I have three brothers and no sisters so I have always (honestly) felt a little gipped in the sibling department. Sorry boys. But when asked to imagine life without them I found it to be a surprisingly depressing thought.
It's not just the fact that they are built-in playmates and friends. It's not just that you have someone who is intimately familiar with the gripes you have about your parents. Whatever terrible things they do (giving my diary to Darren Cullen in the 6th grade!?!) they are there for you. They are obligated to be excited when you succeed and to be happy when you call. They sort of have to worry that you might have been eaten by your cat if you were to stop answering your phone for a week or two. And unlike friends who sadly sometimes fade away, you can usually count on seeing or at least hearing from them at Thanksgiving, Christmas or on your birthday.
I realize that I am very lucky. I do not have brothers who are mean or spiteful or axe murders (yet, to my knowledge...). There are a lot of family members out there who don't talk to or care about each other. But I care, and as far as I know they care (my mom was big on "blood is thicker than water" growing up). So I am going to give all my brothers a call and just spend a minute being glad they're there.