Family is such a strange word to me. Recently, I had some family get in touch with me--family I have not seen in years. I didn't feel excited or happy. In fact, I didn't feel anything. I still don't. Honestly, why should I?

I have plenty of family who live in the exact same city as I do but if I were to bump into them right now I wouldn't recognize them. It's funny to me how we share so much but we know so little of those we should have intimate bonds with.

This disconnect seems to be the norm in my family on both sides, I guess, because no one I know of in my family has expressed any sadness about this fact. The really sad part is that, other than facebook and funerals, I don't see my extended family. What's even more interesting than that is that this is fine by me. Blood tends to be faker than water.

The family I know and have known for so long is one that has your back. They tell you what you need to hear instead of what you want to hear. You may not always agree but you're getting an honest assessment on how they see things. This family includes my immediate family, my close friends, my fiance and some of his family, and people who share the same interests as me and who care about me as much as they care about the causes we share.

I wish I felt more when it comes to what a "family" is suppose to be, in the traditional sense, but I like the family I have just fine.