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Family
fæm ə li,ˈfæm liShow Spelled Pronunciation [fam-uh-lee, fam-lee]
noun, plural -lies, adjective
–noun
1. parents and their children, considered as a group, whether dwelling together or not.
2. the children of one person or one couple collectively: We want a large family.
3. the spouse and children of one person: We're taking the family on vacation next week.
4. any group of persons closely related by blood, as parents, children, uncles, aunts, and cousins: to marry into a socially prominent family.
5. all those persons considered as descendants of a common progenitor.
6. Chiefly British. approved lineage, esp. noble, titled, famous, or wealthy ancestry: young men of family.
7. a group of persons who form a household under one head, including parents, children, and servants.
8. the staff, or body of assistants, of an official: the office family.
9. a group of related things or people: the family of romantic poets; the halogen family of elements.
10. a group of people who are generally not blood relations but who share common attitudes, interests, or goals and, frequently, live together: Many hippie communes of the sixties regarded themselves as families.
11. a group of products or product models made by the same manufacturer or producer.
12. Biology. the usual major subdivision of an order or suborder in the classification of plants, animals, fungi, etc., usually consisting of several genera.
13. Slang. a unit of the Mafia or Cosa Nostra operating in one area under a local leader.
14. Linguistics. the largest category into which languages related by common origin can be classified with certainty: Indo-European, Sino-Tibetan, and Austronesian are the most widely spoken families of languages. Compare STOCK (def. 12), SUBFAMILY (def. 2).

15. Mathematics.
a. a given class of solutions of the same basic equation, differing from one another only by the different values assigned to the constants in the equation.
b. a class of functions or the like defined by an expression containing a parameter.
c. a set.

–adjective
16. of, pertaining to, or characteristic of a family: a family trait.
17. belonging to or used by a family: a family automobile; a family room.
18. suitable or appropriate for adults and children: a family amusement park.
19. not containing obscene language: a family newspaper.
—Idiom
20. in a or the family way, pregnant.
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Origin:
1350–1400; ME familie < L familia a household, the slaves of a household, equiv. to famul(us) servant, slave + -ia -Y 3
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.

The dictionary loosely translates a family to mean any group that falls under the above descriptions. A family can be your actual family (bloodline) or any group with which you closely identify and have strong ties. I have quite a few family members. I have a few related by blood, but mostly I am referring to my friends whom I consider “family”.

We should all make an effort to stay in touch with those we love and to have as good of a visit as we can often. Though we might be separated by time, miles or both, there are a lot of people who will always have a special place in my heart. To be honest, if I never thought of most people ever again, it would be a day too soon, but there are quite a few people that I will never forget, nor would I want to forget them.

You know who you are. This includes people at my office, church, BSF, Cursillo, old college pals, and my household(s). And to those special ones, let me just say that “I LOVE YOU.”