Jerry Springer style?!

     I have been thinking a lot lately about family. You know, I have known people who strictly believe that family can only be blood-related or legally by marriage.
     I know I have blogged before about being a step-mom, and how I totally understand people who adopt children and love them as their own, as I don't think a mother/child relationship can be defined only by blood or marriage.
     Cody and I were recently talking about how much Rick means to him (a fact he really didn't get until he joined the Marines), and how he considers him a dad. So, we chatted about what makes family...family.
     We also talked about labels. We talked about how some people are bothered when a label like "brother" or "mom" is attached to a relationship but not by blood or legally.
      We decided that those are people with small minds and hearts who are losing out in this world!
     I consider my mother-in-law to be to be a mom to me. I consider all the kids to be siblings to each other and grandkids to G-Ma Pat.
      This past week, Jordan was at church camp, and he had the largest family to come on family night! This included his big sister Nicole, her three kids (I got lots of baby time with grandbaby Nathan), his little sister Sarah, Rick, Grandma Pat, and me!
      I wish you could've seen the pride and appreciation my teenage son had for his family. No one can deny that these people are all his family, even if they don't fit nice and tidy into a categorical definition.
     That doesn't even start to hit the people in my life who are incredible friends; I consider them family, too.
      I think family members are the people in your life that you would unconditionally do ANYTHING for at any time and not feel that it is an obligation.
     Sometimes we can even have biological family or people to whom we are legally connected, but we don't consider family. I am fortunate to not have that in my life, which makes my family HUGE!
      Ultimately when I am trying to explain how I am related to someone, I end up explaining that we have a Jerry Springer Family. I don't mean that we are trashy or that we have issues, but rather that we are complicated; our tree is one of those SUPER cool, unique trees that you just want to stare out for hours. That's us.
     Think about it...who do you have in your life that you TRULY consider family? Who are your brothers, sisters, parents, grandparents? What does the picture of your tree look like?