Family. What Does That Word Mean?

Some of us, (if not most all of us), see the word family and we automatically think about the family that we are born into. We think about the moms, dads, aunts, uncles, cousins, brothers, and sisters. We think about the family that we didn’t choose.

For some we think about the ones that we do choose. The friends that have been there for the long haul. The ones who know all of our deepest darkest secrets, or who know things that our blood would recoil from us for. It wasn’t until recently that I began to see the importance of both sides of the word.

I’m beyond blessed to have the family around me that I do have. Even though my history with some in my blood relations is not all roses and sunshine, I still have a few that are key people within my life. But I also look at my extended family. The ones who weren’t born into my world but who have become an integral part of it.

People who genuinely want the best for me and I for them. People that have walked all different paths in life and still they stand strong and with light shining from them that illuminates an otherwise dark world. I see love and laughter more than I see anything else. I see joy and happiness more than the sorrows of life. And seeing all of it makes me happier than I think I have ever been.