Has it ever occurred to you when people who are previously strangers but eventually they became like your own family? I was thankful to God for giving me friends that seems like a family to me.

Since childhood there was a huge gap between my parents and I. We are never that close. They're always focused on work that I feel like they neglected me when it comes to my moral, emotional and spiritual needs. Probably because they married at a young age, so they didn't know yet their full responsibilities as parents. Maybe they thought that being able to provide all my materials needs is already enough. As I was growing up, I started to get more and more distant from them and I also planted resentment against them. I came into the conclusion that our relationship will never get any better.

But as I grow older, I get a broader understanding of things and I started to understand my parents more. There was a convention I attended before, and it made me realize that I just have to look at my parents positively and focus on the good things they do instead of the negative things. I started to open up my heart for them and since they can’t do it, I made the first move to try to talk to them at times and build a better relationship as a family.

But prior to this, I am thankful because I found families that treats me like their own family member.

I have friends who eventually became like a family to me, not by blood, but at least by heart. So let me tell you the story.

It was way back in 2015 when I met them. I never imagined that I’ll get so close to them. Before, I don’t have friends that I consider true, and what I mean by that are the friends that I will never be ashamed of showing the real me. At school, I have lots of friends, but they are just school time friends. So I prayed hard to the extent that I am crying every time I pray. I prayed so hard to God to help me find true friends, friends that has the same belief and principles as me. I just realized that he answered my prayers a couple of years later.

I have this one close friend. We are not each other’s best friend, but she’s a true friend to me. I can say that she’s a true friend because she’s there during good times, she comforts me during hard times, and she never tolerate me when I’m wrong. She also commends me at times. And I didn’t just found a friend in her, a family as well.

Before she got married, we were always together almost every day, not just her but her entire family as well. Their family became my dream family. Her parents are so nice to me, to my sister and to my cousin that they also treat us like their own. We can barge into their house any time we want, we can sleep over, and sometimes we even have small parties. When they celebrate something as a family, they always invite us to join. When I was having a hard time because of my family, they are there to listen to my rants and that feels wonderful.

We may not be real family by blood, but we are family by heart.