What do you consider to be family? Some might think that family is the people who you share flesh and blood and DNA with. Others may think that family would be the people that you live and share space with.

Someone else may say that family is the people that are there for you and have your back. There can be a lot of variations of family and a lot of different opinions on what a family is.

There are people who I share flesh and blood with that I do not consider my family. For example, my fathers birth parents would be my flesh and blood but he was adopted and we do not know anything about them.

I believe that family can be your flesh and blood, but they do not have to be, they can also be the people you live with. To give an example to this for a time I lived with my godmother who is not my flesh and blood but I consider her my family.

I also believe that family can also be the people who are there for you. I consider my closest friends to be my family because of this because when things have gotten tough or out of hand they have been right there by my side to help me.

This also goes for the people at my home church. None of them are my actual flesh and blood but they are there for me and they support me and care for me.

Family does not always mean flesh and blood. There are people in my family who are not right. They let their anger speak before they even have a chance to think. They do not care for others in the family, only themselves, and some of their actions have burned bridges with a lot of people.

These are not people I would want to consider my family. I would rather have these people who I do not share DNA or blood to consider my family as they continue to stand up and fight for me. Not someone who would fight me.

Your family members are the people who care, the ones who love and support you, the ones who will pick you up when you fall down. These are the people who you need to keep in your life, these are the people who you can call at three in the morning to talk about anything.

For example, a long time ago I had a friend tell me, “You can call me anytime even if it is two in the morning just to tell me that the grass has grown an inch.” That is what family is. The people that are there for you any time of the day, any day of the year. The ones who have your back and support you.

The people who care about you and make you happy. These people are family. Not all of my family is flesh and blood, but my family is made up of people who I am able to count on.