Friends are the Family we choose

Friends are the Family we choose...as a Facebook junkie, this was my status yesterday morning.
As the day wore on, I realized that this rings truer than I ever imagined.

Starting the day with coffee and a dear friend I haven't had a conversation with in weeks, we just seemed to pick up where we left off. We talked of family, advised each other with whatever wisdom we had in rearing our children, laughed, and before we knew it two hours had passed. These moments, I cherish.
As the day wore on I prepared for a gathering of friends from my past who are new again. Again, we picked up where we left off and laughed until our stomach hurt. We talked, we planned, we shared food prepared with love.
During this time I also received a message from a friend going through a personal turmoil, and all I had to do was message back with supportive words knowing she would appreciate the fact that I simply was thinking of her.
Another had a family saddened from the loss of their beloved 4 legged child and again, simple words of empathy were all I had to offer, but knew it was understood how much we love and feel for them.
This morning began with that ritual of coffee and catching up with my friends that live in my computer. Learning of their plans for the day, what they did last night, their sorrows, their thoughts.
Don't get me wrong, I love the family I was given. But a gift of a friend is that they were chosen to fill a void that my given family can't fill.
I love my friends for they are the family I have chosen to share my life with.