The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines family as “a group of people united by certain convictions or a common affiliation.” This is the “fellowship” definition, and I think there is no better definition to apply to the dynamic of my second family–fellowship and family describe us perfectly.
Second families come to be when you become so close with a friend that you practically live together, and you basically end up sharing families. I was lucky enough to have a few friends like this even throughout middle and high school. It got to the point where we were with each other so much that our parents would take turns paying for things for the child who was not related to them by blood, because we all knew that the favor would be returned within the week. I’m lucky enough that I don’t just have one second family, I have three.
To my second families:
Thank you for every time you welcomed me into your house with open arms. Thank you for every time you shared a family dinner with me without question. Thank you for putting up with me through that weird kind-of scene kid phase that so many of us went through at the beginning of high school. Thank you for letting me basically live at your house (sometimes for days on end) without asking me when I was going home. Thank you for sharing traditions with me. Thank you for giving me advice–even though I didn’t always want to hear it, I am a better version of myself because of it. Thank you for being as kind to me as you would to the daughter who is related to you by blood. Thank you for sharing your daughter with me. Thank you for sharing your family with me.
It may sound dumb, but every time you refer to me as your “second daughter,” or another member of your family, it makes me feel so happy and loved. I truly cannot thank you enough for all that you’ve done for me.
To my best friends:
Thank you for bringing me into your hearts and homes. Thank you for being the kinds of women that I feel proud to call my friends. Thank you for letting me be myself around you. Thank you for sticking by me, even when we are apart for long periods of time because of school or work. Thank you for making time to nurture our friendship even when you’re busy. Thank you for being someone I can count on and hold myself accountable to. Thank you for always being up for an adventure. Thank you for all the inside jokes and the memories that get me through the tough days. Thanks for the interpretive dances to Jonas Brothers albums, watching movies we actually like “ironically” because we’re "too cool" to admit we genuinely like them, and taking road trips just to see local productions of musicals. Thanks for always being just a text or a call away. Thanks for letting me be a part of your family.
You all mean more to me than I can ever adequately express. I love each of you dearly, and I am so lucky to have you all in my life.
