One of the Family

Family means something to everyone--good, bad, warm, cold, complicated, fulfilling. But perhaps the most interesting and common feeling is that family is a loosely defined entity. Some blood relatives you may not even talk to and they are family; your neeighbor or best friend--well, they can be family as well. At Jennie and Patrick's wedding, I came to appreciate this loose definition, as I learned that Patrick's parents were both no longer living and yet he was surrounded by surrogate parents who offered tremendous support to him and his orphaned brothers.

I was also introduced to Ashley, a nine-year-old cousin who was family to Jennie in a rather confusing way. Ashley instantly loved me, as she was fascinated by the bride and groom sculpture I made for the wedding and was thrilled beyond belief when her cousin told her I would make her balloon animals at the wedding. It was nice to have a fan/date at the wedding; I must have made quite an impression because apparently when Jennie gathered all of her family for a photo, Ashley asked:

"Can the curly-haired balloon lady be in our family?"

Sometimes a loose definition of family means you can choose to be related to a balloon lady.