By Aura Imbarus, PhD – Los Angeles, California
Author of the Pulitzer Prize entry “Out of the Transylvania Night”

“Strangers are just family you have yet to come to know.”

(The 5 People You Meet in Heaven)

Holidays are the perfect moments to be shared with family. But, how about if there is no family around? Maybe they passed away; maybe they live in another country or you are not close to them anymore. There are so many broken families nowadays, and the notion of stepparents is as common as hello.  Children live with one parent while the other one is totally out of the picture.  In nowadays’ world where everything is related, we are all one; we are all connected, and so the perception of “family” changes along with us. Family becomes all of us, and giving becomes like inhaling, loving becomes like exhaling, and as we breathe, we reach out to each other. Our friends, the ones who have been there for us in sickness and in health, become our extended family. They are not blood related but they are love related. We can choose love; we can choose to love every day, to express our love, share our love and be in love each and every moment with those who we consider blood family and those who could be considered strangers. It is not the bloodline that counts but the lifeline we have.
Life is a beautiful tapestry of emotions, attractions, care, support, and sweetness. Every stranger out there can become a potential family member if we care enough to get to know him. Any outsider can become an insider if we will give him a chance, open up a door for him. We were not born knowing things, but we find out about them by approaching them, discovering them and giving them a chance.
So, then, what is different with people? The ones who are friends now are the ones who were strangers in the beginning and were given a chance. You reached out to them or they opened up to you.  In the end, they got closer to you and even closer until they were labeled extended family.
I have a huge extended family, and each and every member is unique and precious to my life!
Happy Holidays to you and to your family!