Family...

Let it be said that I have a wonderful family.  I have super parents and parents in-law.   A sister, brother & two sisters in-law I love.  A sweetheart of a niece.  An amazing husband and beautiful son.  I also have lots of terrific aunts, uncles, and cousins.  This being stated, families come in all different shapes and ways.  Some families are close and share everything.  Talk everyday either in person or on the phone.  Some families prefer to keep safe distances and only share important things.  Some even barely or rarely talk or see each other.  All families are wonderful though.  No, I mean that.  They mold who we are.  As we get older, we either break the mold or stay somewhat in it.  We make our own families as we grow.  We discover others come from different molds, different values, different families than ours.
I remember discovering in college, and being enlightened by it, that not everyone else came from a family like mine.  I come from a close family-mom, dad sister and brother.  I grew up very close to my grandparents too.  I was so fortunate to at least know all of them, and, even know two of my great-grandparents very well.  My grandparents shaped and molded me.  I saw them often and they taught me all sorts of funny and useful things--old wives' tales, how to improve my handwriting, how to pick tomatoes, how to play checkers and so on.    I had aunts and uncles that I knew I could take refuge at their homes if I needed to.  I had cousins I considered my best friends and some that were like nieces and nephews to me because I was a bit older than them.
It was my surprise that not everyone had this close family ties that I had.  Some barely knew their grandparents and aunts and uncles.  Some didn't have any.  Some considered neighbors and friends more family than their own blood relatives.  I used to think that was so cool!  It didn't matter where you came from, who you were, you always had family and those that you call family come in all shapes and ways.  The one thing that made all these families the same was that they were someone to count on.  Even in the deepest darkest times, you have family.  In the happy times, your family is there.  In the sad, scary times, family is there.  I am fortunate to know that I can count on my family - those related by blood and those that are not.  You see, in college and then after I made some new family members.   My family changed and grew and only got better.
I saw one of my family members today I haven't seen in a little while.  He was in good spirits, looked good and sounded good, but I still miss him even though I just saw him this morning.  Do you want to know why?  Because he is my family and he is not in a great place now.  He will get to a better place soon, physically and emotionally, but it hurts my heart to know where he is now.  I know, with the help of his family, he will get to that better place sooner than later.