What is family?

Family is supposed to consist of those few close relatives that share your blood and looks, but what are those close people to you that you consider your 'second family' supposed to be called?  What about those friends that are closer to you than your own brothers and sisters?  What about those adults that have so easily grabbed hold of you heart and soul, cradling them ever so gently in their hands?  What do you do when you are separated from that family, and those gentle hands begin to lose their gentleness?  What happens when your life is torn apart and you no longer understand the meaning of love?  What happens then?  Is there really a family within those close relatives who almost never know who you truly are behind the mask?1

Now, there are those students who are worse than your own family by blood, they are insolent with no understanding of the people around them.  They, although it may be a contradiction, sadly are the only ones that can tell you the whole truth, even when gruesome.  They can tell you what you really needed to hear, even though you didn't want to.  They are your best of friends at times, for in one way or another, they help piece together the puzzle that is your life, and they are the ones who truly tell you what will later on help you succeed in life.2

These three types of people are all our family, the relatives, the 'wanna be' family friends, and the cruel people of this world.....Like it?  Neither do I, but it is just something God gave us that we must accept.....3