Some of the most rewarding aspects of my life revolve around family. My definition of family includes so much more than a group of people who are genetically related or bound by the legal contract of marriage.  I have children in my life who call me Aunt Heather, yet their parents are not my “blood relations,” as we say in the South. I have friends who serve as sisters, brothers, and eccentric aunts. (I’m still waiting to welcome the rich uncle who takes me on dream vacations into my family. I’m sure he’ll materialize soon.) If I limited my understanding of family to the people who share my DNA, I’d probably feel pretty lonely because most of them live really far away. Instead of feeling limited by other people’s understanding of family I’ve developed my own that’s about surrounding myself with people who help lift me up when I’m down. And hopefully I do that for them too.