Family

I know I've talked about my family here and there, but I wanted to dedicate an entire post not just to my family, but families in general, whether those families are biological, through marriage, or by choice.

This came to mind today for a couple of reasons. This morning after I hurt my ankle (read about that here), I was extraordinarily grateful that I live in the same apartment complex as my mom (and also that she is AMAZING).

Also, one of my uncles is coming to town this weekend. We moved to (insert my undisclosed location here) when I was 3, but both of my parents grew up in the same city in the Midwest, about 1000 miles away. So I was never physically close to my extended family, except for when we would visit once or twice a year. Now that I am an adult, it is difficult to get time off work to go out there and visit, so I am sad to say it has been almost three years since I have last been out there.

This uncle was also out here several months ago, and I was very happy to see him then. A lot of my dad's side of the family came out here for his wedding last month, so it was wonderful to see them then.

But it has been Facebook that has brought me closer to so much of my family. I feel more connected to cousins I didn't grow up with; I can see how family members who are not on Facebook are doing through the posts of other family members; and my aunts and uncles can get to know me better and see how I am doing.

This blog is another way for me to reach out to all of that family that I did not grow up with and hardly get to see.

So there's extended family, and I just mentioned the other day (see here for that post) how much I love my immediate family.

So then, of course, there is the family you inherit through marriage.

My younger brother, who I don't talk about much, married an amazing woman on Christmas Day. She is an absolute saint - she's a preschool teacher! My brother has become a better man because of her (not to mention happier). He's even discussed having kids with her, which is amazing because our entire childhood, he swore up and down that he would never have kids. I've only met my sister-in-law's family once, but they seem awesome as well, which isn't a surprise because of how wonderful she turned out.

I am also getting to know a new family through my new stepmother. The youngest victim of last week's atrocity looks like a blond version of my youngest stepsister, who I don't know very well, but my heart breaks at the thought of her life being cut short.

My stepbrothers seem like good guys, although I have to admit I do not know them well. In fact, all of my stepmother's family seem very nice, and I look forward to getting to know them all better as time goes on.

That leaves the family you choose, otherwise known as friends, or maybe even just your work family. I really like my work family. Everybody absolutely supports each other. While I do have many friends, I don't necessarily have friends I would consider family (outside of my work family).

But I have known and seen many examples of friend families. For example, my ex was closer to his best friend than he was to his own brother. They could just walk into each other's homes and were absolutely welcomed in each other's families. I've also seen several of my own friends have these relationships.

And then, after a tragedy like what happened last week, stories come out from best friends of victims who say their friend was like a sibling. And I have no doubt in my mind that they mean every word when they say that.

Oh, I forgot one more family: my fur children. I have no intention of ever having human kids, so my dogs are as close as it gets to having children. I absolutely know that I am not the only person who includes pets as family members. As much as they make me crazy sometimes, they are my kids, and I wouldn't trade them for anything.

So tell me about your family, fur or otherwise. I would love your opinions on family in general. What does family mean to you?