*clink*

your family is perfect, she said.

it was thanksgiving.
my friend, who lives too far away,
and i were chatting on the phone.

whose family are you talking about? i asked.

you always get together, and go places,
and you all seem to really get along, she added.

this made me smile.
of course, my family IS perfect.
for me.

but we are just like everyone else.
we definitely have our issues,
we all have our baggage,
and annoyances,
and ican'tbelievehesaidthat moments.
(right?)


families are what make us tick.
our families have our back. unconditionally. period.

now don't get me wrong.
i come from the type of upbringing
i have learned, over the years
that family is by choice.
you find your family as you find your way through life.
that is what worked for me...self-preservation, maybe.
but that, in detail, is a whole 'notha post.

i have my peeps.
(some chosen and some by birth.)
and they are my family.
what they say matters.
politics, religion, music, food, child-rearing, societal views.
i listen to them. we don't always agree.
but, unconditionally, i love them.
period.

there are plenty of folks driving back from the holiday tonight
thinking that their
families are crazy.
and loud.
and bossy.
and over-the-top.
and embarrassing.
and protective.
and tight-knit.
and loving.
and beautiful.

i wouldn't trade mine for anything.

no.
really.



my brother, tom, has a toast that he likes to say:

here's to cheating, stealing, and lying.
cheat only death.
steal only the heart of the one that you love.
and lie only for family.

cheers.