Having a family relationship with others means that we acknowledge their importance in our lives. It means we choose to honor them with our time and our energy, and that we are present to them in times of need. However close one s blood relationship to another, it is meaningless if no genuine concern and compassion are enacted. The new family of intentional affiliation marks spiritual progress from the letter of the law to the spirit of the law of love. We care for, protect, and honor others not just because we were born in their house, but because we choose to love them, because this is the spirit in which we want to live our lives.
Family is more a matter of intention than of blood.
And more a matter of love than of anything else. My family is whomever I determine to hold in my heart, to honor with my words and actions, and to keep in my prayers. Joanne Blum is a free-lance teacher and writer in Columbus, Ohio, and a frequent contributer to Unity and New Thought publications. Click here to return to the menu of Joanne's articles.