Being family does not always mean being blood-related

When the word family is mentioned people tend to think that a family is blood-related and consider your biological father, mother, brother, sister, etc. to be a part of a family. But that is not always the case. To some people, the definition of a blood-related family is chained to a dark past. 

That word reminds them of being abandoned, betrayed, mistreated or judged. Some think that a family is the most precious gift in the world. That is true but it does not mean that a family necessarily is blood-related. A family can be a group of friends who show unconditional love towards each other. Or it can be your partner or simply someone that makes you feel safe and gives you the feeling that you are home. 

Unfortunately in some cases, people that you have no blood relation with are the people that believe in you the most, that sacrifice for your well-being and that inspire you to reach your goals and find your purpose. 

There are many family members out there (blood-related) that treat each other with disrespect. A good example is from where I came from. I lived with my mother, father, and brother. But my father and brother were nothing like family. They were a living nightmare. This is not because they would abuse me, but they would both make me feel like I was a failure. 

They would judge me and joke about me for having a dream of becoming a successful entrepreneur, my dad would put strict rules on me that weren't normal, and every day he would tell me how much of a disappointment I was for not becoming what he wanted me to be. He even shamed my husband while we were all together eating dinner. Every time I got to see my brother and father I would feel terrified, scared of the words they would say. I knew that this was no family. 

These were people that had not one single good intention on my behalf. For months I started to feel like I never had a family. I even thought that maybe it was really my fault for being treated like that.  But I didn't understand that I was stressing out for nothing. I was stressing out for two people that really did not care. 

I was failing to see who my true family was, who has really been beside me and believed in me no matter what. It does not matter who these people are, but the realization of knowing that they do not need to be necessarily blood related changed me as a person for the best. If we feel bad and confused about why some blood relatives treat us like we are strangers to them because in most cases we are. That is why we need to Move On and focus on who really is important and who loves us truly.