F is for the “F-word”

I call it the F word. But unlike the thoughts that might come to mind when you hear “F word”, mine is very special and reserved only for people who deserve it. All those other folks who just might be related by blood or a name are simply relatives.

My F word is family.

What does family mean to me?

Blood is not thicker than water. Actions do speak louder than words.

Family is being there through the good times and the bad times. It’s putting aside any feelings you have and putting your loved one first.

It’s standing up for someone when they can’t stand up for themselves. Sometimes it means you carry them when they can’t take another step. You give help even when it’s not asked for.

It’s being honest and real and kind and considerate.

It’s showing up even when you don’t want to play- only because it means something that the other person.

It’s being able to say you’re sorry when you make a mistake. It’s being able to forgive someone when their emotions get the best of them and they say things that might hurt. It’s showing them that you still love them and you know that everybody’s human and everyone makes mistakes.

It means loving unconditionally, no limits, no end.

It means that no one gets left behind.

Family is love.

That might sound corny and trite and cliché but you know what? When the chips are down, when you’ve hit rock bottom, when you are so low you just can’t see a way out, when you are so unlikeable and miserable and caught up in your own drama that you forget that other people even have problems…… well, it’s those people who are there. They are more than just a name or blood or empty words. They are family.