The spirit is thicker than blood.

Children. Children. How should children be raised? As a parent, I’ve been inclined. To encourage independence.  To make for an easy transition. For an easy departure. From the nest. To the outside world. It’s all right to be free and clear of one’s parents. To go one’s own way. To build one’s own life. Away from one’s original family. To be independent. To choose one’s own course. That’s the way I did it. The way I grew up. I separated. I distanced myself. From my parents. From my siblings. Oh, not totally. I kept nominal contact. But I’ve ventured far beyond my blood relationships. To new friends and acquaintances. Beyond the horizon. Into the aura of true  love. And I’ve learned something along the way. That the human spirit is thicker than blood. --Jim Broede