31 Days {Family}

{Family}

Family. Is not flesh and blood. Family isn’t even a piece of paper. Family is belonging. Family is feeling safe. Family is love.

I thought that we would be a family as soon as the papers were signed. As soon as our hearts saw her face and held her tiny body. But family takes time. It takes time to form the bonds of family. It takes lots of patience. Walls had been built up. Months alone and scared in an orphanage create barriers that only love and God’s grace will tear down.

Because family is something hard and something to work towards, family is precious. It is precious to see her blossom in our family. To see the walls being torn down….brick by brick. Sweet hug by sweet hug. Yes, she is loved. Yes, she is wanted.

Family is more than just flesh and blood. Sometimes we are closest to those who are not the same color or race or blood as us. Sometimes our hearts burst open and welcome in people who are so different, but deep down we share the same love and passions.

Family is not perfect. We all make mistakes. Hurtful things are done and said. But true families know that they are safe with the people. Even if they don’t share the same roof, we share a bond that makes us family. We share a mutual trust. A mutual love for each other.

As I grow a little older this year, I realize family is where you feel safe. A place to love. A place to learn. A place to grow. A place where you can make mistakes and still be loved.

STOP

31 Days of Five Minute Free Writes is a “challenge within the challenge,” so to speak — namely, to post on your blog every day in the month of October, but to write each post in only five minutes flat. To see the road map and previous days click here.