Friends - family of choice?

I have a wonderful family of origin, for the most part. It is a rather small family, especially for where we live, but it's nice enough. I have pleasant memories of my grandparents - the ones I knew - and aunts and uncles and I was fortunate enough to have a really awesome father who was my best friend when I was a teen and beyond.

Perhaps it is because my family is so small that I have been so willing to "adopt" other family members. They are my family of choice! Sometimes, like our "real" family, I choose to "disinherit" some of my extraneous family members. And, like all relationships, there is an ebb and flow to interactions and such.

Even so, I am incredibly blessed by the family of choice that I have! I could never have made it through the last 20 years without the incredible friends I have.

Many of my extended "family-of-choice" members are young people. I have been called Auntie Leah and Mom by more young people than I could ever have imagined! On many occasions I have looked over a group of younger folks after hearing "Auntie Leah, Auntie Leah" and have thought I have more nieces and nephews than people with LOTS of brothers and sisters, and I have none!

There are also the nieces and nephews that were "legally" mine during marriages I have kept. I love them, even if I'm not still legally tied to their families and I love to see them grow. I appreciate that they will, for the most part, accept me as still a part of their family, too!

My children's youngest stepbrother, who passed away from Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, accepted me as his "step mom" just because. That really was sweet and touched my heart!

The most difficult loss of my last divorce were my three "grandchildren" and their family.

So my life is filled with the beauty and energy of young people, even if it may be from afar, as they come into my family of choice realm.

There are some people in my family of choice that would be closer to my own age. Friends I have had for something close to forever. Some are like brothers and sisters, some like cousins, and some might even be former spouses, but all are family. I love them and appreciate them all and they add joy to my days on this planet.

Some of my favorite people in my FOC are those older than me. These are people I have learned from who have enriched my knowledge, confidence, and life without realizing how much they mean to me. One of my favorite people ever was Hazel Hancock who was a second mother to me for so many years!

Some of these people were parents and grandparents of my friends and some were people I had the joy of meeting and connecting with as an adult. These are people I admire and respect. These are people I go to for advice and support. These are people I hope to emulate in some way and I hope to have some influence on those younger than me, as they have influenced my life in a positive way.

I have discovered that my "family" of choice is as crucial to me as my family of origin - sometimes even more crucial. I love them all - even though I don't get to spend the time with any of them I'd like to. Life has moved on and we have all moved on. Some have even passed on to - what I hope is - a better place.

I just want to say THANK YOU ALL to my family - my family of origin and my family of choice!