Family Tree

I've been working on a family tree for some time now. I've been dusting off the old cobwebs in many people's minds to gain more information.
It amazes me how much family you actually never meet or have contact with.
It is also quite wonderful how many people you consider 'family' when they are not even related to you through any bloodlines whatsoever. But you still consider them to be closer than most blood relatives.
Family is a wonderful thing to behold. Everyone's is different. Everyone has problems. Family is family.
I think about the old 'you can pick your friends, but you can't pick your relatives...’ It makes me laugh. I am a very tolerant person of faults. Mostly because I know all of mine and admit to them with pride. The faults that I am not proud of are the ones I work on and try to overcome, but some are just part of me and will not be altered.
I've heard many stories about some of my relatives, and I don't use any of that info to judge them. I try not to judge anyone in this world. We are each our own to fight with ourselves. We do the best that we can at the time of doing it. We all have good and evil inside of us - we are the ones who choose which to use most of.

But back to family tree stuff.... it excites me to be doing this. The more I find out the more I want to learn. The many branches are interesting, and as siblings get married and other families join our world, the branches just keep growing. This tree is getting quite large and it's a beautiful tree. It's such a great hobby to have, and so many people are thankful for me asking the questions and dusting off their brains cobwebs, and remembering that we have lots of family. Even the ones that are no longer with us.... they are all important. They have all touched us in some way, even if not directly. They are all a part of who we are. We should be thankful for every one of them.
I know that I couldn't ask for a better family!