Family Affair

Last night at Joe and Carolyn's wedding, Joe thanked their families for making the trip to DC and friends who were visiting from places like Ireland and the Dominican Republic. Then he made a note to thank our DC friends who, he said, were very much like a local family. I hadn't thought of it that way before.

Since this is such a transient area--and almost nobody here is really from here--having close friends becomes really important. And even though I'm lucky enough to have my sisters living here, we're so lucky to have found a much larger extended family too.

There are a couple dozen other people I wouldn't hesitate to call if I locked myself out of my car, was dying to find the perfect recipe, or needed a recommendation for...well, anything. And I know they'd call us if they needed heavy furniture moved, a last-minute babysitter, or wanted to celebrate a promotion.

I guess you could say that we take care of each other. After all, isn't that what families do?