I hope that everyone has a lovely family that they enjoy, and for those for whom that is not the case, I hope you are able to create family-by-choice.

As time grows faster, and technology demands more and more of our attention, I think it’s easy to fall into the trap of forgetting that which truly matters. Humans, relationships, love, soul growth–these matter, and these all go together.

I love my family and family-by-choice more than anything, and I would do anything for them. They are my built-in friends that I can’t live without.

Remember that song by Rhianna? It means romantic love for many, but look at the lyrics below. You’ll see that the sentiment is appropriate for many types of love.

Because when the sun shines, we’ll shine together
Told you I’ll be here forever
Said I’ll always be your friend
Took an oath, I’ma stick it out to the end
Now that it’s raining more than ever
Know that we’ll still have each other
You can stand under my umbrella

This is how I feel about my family, and how I hope future generations of our family will feel. If I could distill it, I would say this to the children being born now: It’s more than blood–because, of course, you can sometimes pick who you call family. The family means safety, love, acceptance, friendship. When times are good, you will celebrate together, and when they are rough, you will stand together. With family, you are never alone.

The family is your right hand, and without them, you are lost.

Your place in the world, so often questioned during youth, is explored and then cemented through interaction with them, and later, the family ensures you are remembered into the future.

Think about who you consider family. Take a moment, in fact, and make sure that they know how much you love and appreciate them. There’s no time but now, after all.

Happy Monday.