My Fam{ily}

What is family? A hand on your shoulder when the day has been long? A finger to wipe the tears as they stream down your face? A wolf at the door, protecting you from harm? A kind word when the rest of the world has turned it's back? Truly, it depends on the person, the circumstance, the people. I have a very blended family, and for that, I feel I'm grateful. As you make your way through life, you come across people. Some change your life for the better and then leave, some change your life for the worse and then leave, and others....change your life profoundly, and they stay. And if you're lucky, they make you better. They add something you've been missing, and you do the same for them. I can say that I'm blessed to have such people in my life. I was 15 when I met my first *REAL* boyfriend, and by that I mean, it wasn't just holding hands between classes and writing his name all over my notebook. (I totally did those things, but there were other things too.) I never imagined when I met this guy, that he'd effectively change my whole life. But truthfully, he did. Our relationship, in its entirety, lasted for about 5 years. We were high school sweethearts, and we were in love. We made some mistakes, and broke some other people's hearts, but what we were left with was something neither of us could deny, or regret....a family. Complete with a little boy, all our own, who looks just like his daddy, especially when he smiles. What my relationship with him ALSO brought me was a mother. A woman who would quickly become as influential in my life as my own mother, a woman who I'd share many giggles and secrets with, a best friend. It also gave me an Aunt...someone to spend time with, to laugh with, someone who gets drunk just as quickly as I do. Recently, it gave me a dad. As supportive and loving as I could ask for. He's as nerdy as I am, and as funny as I am, and as different as I am. He laughs at the funny things i laugh at, and he gets me. I don't know how, but some days, it feels like he's known me my whole life. With my dad, came a little girl. She's just 6 years old, and she's amazing. She's blond, with the deepest blue eyes you've ever seen in your life, and she thinks I hung the moon. She's my little sister. My best friend...has been my best friend for 12 years now. It's weird to think we've been at it this long. When you're in middle school, you don't imagine that the friends you're making are the ones you'll take with you the rest of your life. For her though, that was true. She's as much my sister as it's possible to be, which is good because I never had one of my own. She balances out my crazy, and I hers. We've been through a lot together, and I expect much more to come. Now, this boy and I broke up a LOOOONG time ago, and all that remains are the memories, and the tight knit family that he and I created together. He has since married a girl, who is great for him, and they have another child of their own. She's fantastic to my son, I truly couldn't ask for a more loving stepmother, aside from other feelings. He has introduced her into our crazy family, as he once introduced me, and they've been at it for 3 years or so now. And me? I've been through my share of hardships, including failed marriage, and heartache....but I stand here today, in love with someone else myself. Daniel and I have been dating for 2 years and 3 months now (if you count from the day we met) and we're taking it slow this time. As with any relationship, it has its ups and downs, but he loves my boys, and he loves me...and I couldn't ask for too much more than that. In addition to this side of my family, I have one all my own. Complete with parents, siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. You'll hear more about them in my next post. I guess what I'm trying to get at is...blood doesn't necessarily make family. Family are the people who gather around the table every Sunday to just be together. Family are the people who stand up for you, when they can see that you just don't have the strength to stand up for yourself anymore. Family makes you aware of everything you are, everything you can be, and are also the ones to let you know everything you're not---and how to fix it. With a family as diverse and interesting as ours, there's bound to be some misunderstandings, some fights, and some silent treatments, but we always get over it...and we always come out stronger than we once were. These relationships know nothing of distance or time, or disagreements. We are, as we've always been. Together. In the end, your family is just made up of all the people who have always been there for you. And if you're as lucky as I am, to have a circle of so many incredible people in your life, then I'd say you're not doing to badly for yourself. Life is hard, and it's a journey, but it's easier when you have amazing people to take it with.