Soul Food Revolution

What is family? I’m sure, depending on what culture I questioned, that question would be answered with a million different answers. There was a song out a few years ago by one of my favorite artists, Garth Brooks. The song basically painted the picture of what family truly is. In fact, one of the lines in the song is this, ‘if blood is thicker than water, then love is thicker than blood.’ That line in that one simple song has stuck with me over the years.

Photo by Jayanta Behera

I was one of the fortunate ones. I grew up with my family physically in tact. My parents have been married and in love for decades now. My dad’s parents have been married and passionately in love for, well, let’s just say a really long time! So as kids I, my sister, and our cousins were first hand witnesses to what blood family was really about. The interesting thing is that even though we knew what blood family was, our family was always accepting others, with no blood relation, into the family. There was a couple that were best friends with my grandparents for years–Ora and Sara Joe McCormick. They were not blood family. But we were so close to them and they to us that my cousins and I literally didn’t realize until we were teenagers that Ora and Sara Joe WERE NOT our grandparents! And yes, when that discovery was made it royally confused our little minds. Regardless, they were family.

So at a young age I learned two very important lessons. First, I learned what blood family is meant to be. I understand this isn’t always the case but at least, in my life, I was a witness to what family is meant to be. And second? I learned what real family is. I learned, as the song says, that blood is thicker than water, but love is thicker than blood. I learned that, in reality, we are all family. Whether black or white, Indian or Hispanic, Japanese or American–we are all family.

So to you, what is family? If you’re only sold that family is in the blood, well, I would love to challenge you on that thought. If you’ve been burned by family, I bet you’re in need of one. And to you blood doesn’t matter. Maybe you’re family has a past of racism or hatred. Friend don’t carry that evil on any longer. I will support my thought with one question: What if I treated you the way family is meant to treat each other? In what state would the world be? The only answer to that question is this: if I treated you like family is meant too, the world would be at peace. The world would be in love.

So what is family? My family is you. And my kids. And the drunk on the corner. And my wife. And the cashier at the store. And my parents. And the prostitute in the motel. And my grandparents. And the guy I sit at church with. My family is never ending. My family is everyone. My family is you.

Here’s to love being thicker than blood, now go give someone in our family a hug…tell them I miss them too!!!!

Mitch