I was born into a house full of echoes,
Love felt conditional, doors half-closed
They said “that’s just how it goes,”
But I learned early I deserved more
Late nights talking on borrowed couches,
Broken hearts finding places to land
You saw me when I was unfinished,
Still reached out your hand
We didn’t share the same last name,
But you knew my middle pain
Stayed when leaving was easier,
That’s when everything changed
Blood ain’t the only bond that’s real
Family’s who choose to heal
The ones who show up, don’t disappear
Who call you home, not out of fear
We built this love brick by brick
From all the pieces we were given
I found my family in the ones
Who decided to stay and listen
Some people leave scars, not lessons,
Call it love but it cuts too deep
So I stopped begging for permission
To be everything I need
Now my table’s full of laughter,
Different stories, same embrace
We toast to surviving together,
Found belonging in this space
No shared DNA required,
Just a heart that won’t retire
From loving hard and standing strong
When the world feels wrong
Blood ain’t the only bond that’s real
Family’s who choose to heal
The ones who show up, don’t disappear
Who call you home, not out of fear
We built this love brick by brick
From all the pieces we were given
I found my family in the ones
Who decided to stay and listen
If home is where the truth can breathe,
Where you’re safe to finally be
Every flaw, every dream,
Then home is standing next to me
Blood ain’t the only bond that lasts
Love can rise from a broken past
We made a promise, not by name
But by loyalty, not by shame
This is family—chosen, true
Hand-picked souls who pulled me through
I didn’t lose what I never had
I built my own—and I’m proud of that
So if you’re looking for where you belong,
It might not be where you’re from
Sometimes family’s the ones you find
When you stop settling and choose your own.
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