My Theory of Relativity

Today, I had lunch with a dear, dear friend.  It was so nice to see her and hear what is new in her life.  We ate and talked about many different things, but the one thing that really resonated with me is that I think of this friend as a child of mine.  She is younger than me by 16 years but its not her age that makes her feel like my child.  I watched her grow from a fun-loving youth into a lovely, young woman.  Even though I am an adult, she was as much a part of my "growing up" as I was of hers.  I was friends with her as a child and have become friends with her as an adult.  I think of her as one of my own.  I have other friends that I feel similarly about.  I think of them as sisters.  In essence, I have a whole family that is not family as the dictionary defines it.  They are forever people, not fairweather people.  I know many of them better than I know my own blood relatives.  I hear from them more often than I hear from my "family" family.  I can count of them to be there when I need them and they can count on me for the same.   Not saying that I can't rely on my dictionary defined family, but I feel I can be more myself around these other people.  The judgement factor is not there.  I feel we often can be more judgemental of our own family members because it doesn't matter if we show our disapproval, they are obligated to still like us.  I love my non-family family.  They are not there out of obligation.  They are the ones who make my life better.  They are the ones that make my heart smile when I think of them.  They are the ones who accept me for me - no expectations.  So to all the members of my voluntary family - I love you all!