Family is more than blood. It is more than your parents. It is more than your siblings. Your Aunts, and your Uncles. Family is more than what you’ve been born into, and who raised you.

Family is anyone that supports you. It’s anyone that just wants the best for you, and is always standing by your side no matter what. Who’s there with you to celebrate your biggest -and your smallest accomplishments. Who’s there for you late at night when you can’t stop crying just because. It’s the people that you look forward to being around because they make you feel whole, finally.

Love and support are the biggest factors in family, and those two things aren’t always inherent. You have to work for them. Prove that you can give and receive them. You have to find people that will always have those two things for you when you need them.

Let’s pause and take a quick test. Close your eyes, take a deep breath, and imagine yourself by a body of water. Any body of water. Now imagine yourself surrounded by the people that you love; the people that make you the most comfortable and happy.

Now if the people that you saw are your relatives, that’s totally fine. I’m not trying to say that isn’t okay. Though when I sit down and imagine the people I love, that’s not only who I see. I see people I’ve grown up with, people that have helped me grow and become who I am today. I see the person that helped me through break ups I never thought I’d survive. I see the person that’s stayed up late with me when I didn’t think I could make it through another day. I see my Brother, that kept me safe and sane through out my childhood. I see my best friend that helped me when I was stuck in an emotional abusive relationship. I see a man that taught me how to fall in love all over again.

These relationships mean the world to me. These people stuck by my side when they didn’t have to.

Now, I'm not trying to say that blood means nothing. I'm not trying to say that you should ignore your parents, leave your siblings, and go find new ones that understand you. I'm trying to say that there's more to family than just being related. I'm trying to say that yes, blood is thicker than water, but love is thicker than blood.