Have you ever had some one come into your life and fill an empty space you didn't even know existed? Then, once they're settled, you can't imagine how you got along without them.

I learned at a very young age that family, REAL family, is not determined by blood type. We choose our REAL family. Not unlike adoption, marriage and step-families and friends are choices we make. We decide to love some one not based on a genetic code, but by the leading of our hearts. Not to say you don't love your blood relatives, of course you do. But in my life, blood relatives have not been the norm for family structure. Friends have always been a major part of my family life. Having said that, I want to wish my friend Bari a very happy birthday. (Thursday, April 14th) My wish on your birthday, Bari, is that someday in the far, far distant future when asked, we will giggle like teenagers and say, "Us? Oh Heavens! We've been friends forever!"