BlackNightingail

Browsing FB and discovering family members that I have not seen since 1976. Even though it has been years and the ages wear on the faces, I still hesitate. Do I want to reach out and contact these people? Do I have any connection aside from a genetic one to them? Are they meaningful to my life? Do I want them to be? If they mattered, would I have tried before this time? Or is it the ease and utility of social media and the internet that makes a connection seem almost obligatory?

People search and with a few strokes find lost ones that they had given up on. Have I given up on my family? I believe that we create our own families. We populate them with people (and animals) who matter to us. We hold close those who will support us and have our best interests at heart. Perhaps that is why it is sometimes more difficult to give up a friend than a family member. We chose that friend. We let them into our circle. Unlike genetics, we have a say in who sits at our table, who huddles around the fire with us. It is a huge leap of faith to let someone into that circle. They must prove themselves worthy. When they don't it is a reflection on us as well as them.