My desk calendar today says:
"Families are about love overcoming emotional torture" - Matt Groening
I can relate to that. The trouble is that the machinery that allows people to interact with each other is imperfect at best. This is complicated by the fact that the people who are closest to you & know you inside & out are the most likely to throw sand into that machine. If it weren't for love acting as a lubricant I doubt there would be many families. If you add the general sense of insecurity most people feel about themselves it's truly a wonder that people are able to build close-ness & a sense of family at all!
--S