Maybe most women don't have the sort of family and friends that I do. The kind that are there to support you, no matter what. On one hand, I was so incredibly excited that I was bursting to share the news. But, on the other hand, I knew that if anything were to happen to my precious baby, I would need a ton of support. And I knew that they would be there to give it to me.
Fast forward to this week, as I realize, once again, how wonderful my friends are. I take Miles with me to work, and can leave him sleeping in his playpen, because I know Maestro will be there to pick him up if he cries. I have a rough afternoon, and Stacey and Bethany offer to take Miles for a half hour, so I can regain some sanity before our evening get-together. I take him to dance class, and never for one moment worry about who is holding him, though he is passed from person to person the entire night. I am incredibly lucky to have friends who support me at every turn, who often know instinctively what it is that I need. And more importantly, I am incredibly lucky to have so many friends who love Miles unconditionally.
Family means so many different things to so many different people. To me, there are two types of family: the family you are born with, and the family you choose. The family I was born to is amazing and supportive, affectionate and warm. I love them no matter what they do or don't do. That's part of the deal. And one day, I will find a way to put into words that special bond that comes with being related by blood, experiencing the same things for nearly twenty years.*
But equally difficult to define is the bond between family that has chosen - and continues to choose daily - to be a part of one another's lives. None of these people have to love me, but they do. And I will never find a way to adequately say "thank you" to them.
*It's been longer than twenty years, now, but our experiences diverged after I went to college.
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