Backwards Life Lived Forward: Family is Friends is Family

What makes a family? Is it two parents, one male, one female? Children, at least one? Do you have to share the same blood? Must you come from the same ancestry line? Does family mean you are automatically gifted with friends for life?

Dictionary.com: a basic social unit consisting of parents and their children,considered as a group, whether dwelling together or not: thetraditional family.

Merriam Webster: a group of people who are related to each other, a person's children, a group of related people including people who lived in the past.

TheFreeDictionary.com: Two or more people who share goals and values, have long-term commitments to one another, and reside usually in the same dwelling place.

UrbanDictionary.com: A bunch of people who hate each other and eat dinner together.

Family is more than blood, it's more than who you were given to at birth. It's more than a title or descriptor and it's most certainly more than a last name.

When people ask me who I am, the last thing that comes to mind is 'daughter, sister, niece, granddaughter, cousin.'

Family is about those people, those special people in life that have a way of sneaking into your thoughts when you least expect it. It's those who surprise you with their love and gratitude. It's the ones you never expected to grow fond of and the next thing you know you're sending them updates on your life, they're sending you pictures of their sons soapbox derby trophy.

Family is that group of people that aren't forced to be a part of your life and yet become solid cornerstones in your day-to-day activities.

I'm thankful for my family and lately, most especially thankful for my Zimmerman/Bracken/Gallen family. These guys have managed to wiggle their way into a world that I felt had no room left. They've filled a void I didn't realize I had. They've given me strength, shown me respect, took care of me when needed and when all else failed, they were all right there, willing to help, when Matt and I needed them most. The last few years have thrown a few punches our way, figuratively and literally. Through all of the punches, all of the celebrations, this group has held steady, kept me afloat and most importantly kept me laughing.

Some of my family <3