So, it is the Holiday Season. You hear a lot about spending
time with family and friends. That phrase: “Family and Friends” is a bit of an
inside joke around our house. J
The joke goes that all Friends are
family, so it is a rather redundant phrase for us. Now, it is a play on words,
but it also reflects our attitude towards those closest to us. There are 6 of
us in the immediate family, but our true family is much larger, stretching
beyond the traditional extended family of grandparents, aunts, uncles, and
cousins, to include several Aunts and Uncles, brothers and sisters of no
blood-relation or official adoption. To this day, I still refer to them as Aunt
Bonnie, Uncle Steve, Uncle Freddy, etc. and sign texts and cards to others
“Love you sis!”
They
truly are family to me. With that comes a support system, unconditional love,
and a network of people who care and that I can trust. I have been blessed with
a wonderful family in all aspects, and maybe that’s why we so readily welcome
others into the family. When you have a good thing, you want (or should want)
to share it. Most of the credit goes to
my mom, who has always “taken in strays.” But in reality, she chooses people to
incorporate into our family. But just
like being born into a family, once you are in, you are a part of it. “Uncle Freddy” jokes that he was invited to
come hang out with us 20 years ago, and said “Sure, why not?” He just never
expected to be “adopted” and never let go. J He has been at almost every birthday, graduation,
dance recital, and Christmas for the last 20 years, and hopefully for the next
20 +.
There is a line in Lilo and Stitch that I absolutely love: “'Ohana means family, family means nobody gets left behind.
Or forgotten.” You will never be given up on. That is how my family is,
whether you were born into it, adopted into it, or unofficially added.
I hope
you have a family like that this holiday season. If you don’t, you are more
than welcome to join ours! J
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