I am surrounded by a mass of familiar faces

Faces I have grown to know and love

Some I have watched cry

And comforted

Others I have hurt

And I am sorry

And most of whom I have bonded with

And love

A family is not defined by blood lines

Or DNA

A family is defined by the bonds you share

By the stories you've made

A family is defined by the tears that have been shed

And the pain exchanged

A family is held not by Easter dinners

Or night time rituals

But by fights

And agreements

By jokes

And tears

A family is woven not by the amino acids of our DNA

But by time spent in each other's company

A family is kept together

Not by silly holidays

Or weekly phone calls

But by the bonds that were formed over time

My family is not those who were given to me at birth

But those who I found over life

My family does not carry one name

Or share one color

My family doesn't have the same nose

Doesn't share each other's eyes

We have no paper work

No documents

But we have bonds

Bonds that will last long into graduation

We have experiences

That we will never forget

And we have each other

But even when we are separated

No one can take the memories away