A friend recently posted some beautiful images on facebook – her mother and brother. Sadly, both are now gone but she remembers them well. She mentioned being the last of her mother’s line and that she has no children of her own, however she has a wonderful family – her husband, his son, and the son’s family.
In our exchange, I shared with her that I’m adopted. My view of family lines is that they aren’t all about blood, or genetics, if you prefer. Rather, it’s the level of connection which can come in many forms…
I’m friends with some members of my biological family, and have developed closeness with a couple where I have a sense of family – this is what I consider my blood-line.
In my heart, my family is the one that raised me – I call this my love-line. My mother used to say that I didn’t grow under her heart (i.e., as in she didn’t carry me – there was no pregnancy on her part), but I grew in her heart.
Then there’s my extended family. These are the people who are close to me, so much in my heart that it includes some close friends, people who I know I can count on even if it’s been years since we last saw each other, and when we do meet, it’s like we haven’t been apart. And there’s extended family in the other sense – that of cousins, my wonderful nieces, nephews, and their children.
There are a handful of people where there is a connection so strong I can’t explain it – it’s deeper than either of the terms I’ve used above. These are people that when I meet them, I know them. And they know me. They know who they are. These are soul-lines.