Family is more than just a
biological connection. It's love and friendship, it's being there when you are
needed… and sometimes when the other person doesn't even realize how much they
need your comfort and support.
There's the nuclear family, the one
you are born into, usually parents and children. Sometimes you are born into
the hearts of your parents (adoption). When you are little, this family seems
to be your whole world. If you are lucky there are aunts and uncles, cousins,
maybe grandparents… As you grow your family takes on other forms, a marriage,
your own children, in-laws, and sometimes close friends.
So how do you cope when the people
you count on to be there for you as family turn their backs? How far do you
push when the other person has no interest in BEING family? It's never easy to
close the door on someone you called family, sometimes though they leave you no
other options.
I have friends who have been
abandoned by those they thought would be there for them in times of turmoil and
it's sad. They've told me stories of being excluded from these people's lives
and sometimes even getting arguments because they didn't acknowledge an event
that they were never even told about.
Sometimes a person whom you
accepted as family (maybe they married in) and continued to think of them that
way even after the actual blood connection has been lost, may feel the need to
"divorce" themselves from that side of the family. It's heartbreaking
to lose yet another family member, but there is really nothing you can do about
it.
Cling to those who hold you dear
and don't waste time on those who seem to have simply forgotten you. Focus on
the people who surround you with love and caring, and who allow you in when
they need some love and caring as well. THAT is your family.
.
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