Today was different.  Very different. Unlike how my Wednesdays, or as I now call them, Mirrors and Reflections days, usually go.

I started on a high note but it’s not ending that way.

 And how did I know?

Well, I began putting my thoughts together for my post. I knew what I wanted to write about. I started writing, got halfway and stopped. 

I started again on something else, wrote halfway and stopped again. 

So now I’m pausing. Pausing to think. 

For some reason, I’m thinking about a scene from Meet the Robinsons. 

I first watched Meet the Robinsons as a child. Back then, all I saw was a science geek who built a time machine. I didn’t understand the depth and substance until I rewatched it as an adult. 

For those who haven’t seen it, it’s about a boy called Lewis. 

Lewis’ mom dropped him off at an orphanage as a baby. He grew up and decided he wanted to build a time machine so he could go back in time and meet her after so many failed adoption attempts.

He kept trying and failing. He wanted to give up. But his future son, Wilbur, travelled back in time to inform him that their future depended on him building that machine. 

Lewis didn’t believe him at first until Wilbur took him to the future to convince him. He met Wilbur’s family, not knowing that it was his own future family. 

Wilbur introduced Lewis to his family as his classmate who lived in an orphanage. And when he did, Wilbur’s family did something that warmed my heart. 

It was a subtle part of the show that carried so much weight. They immediately told Lewis he could stay with them. Though they later discovered Lewis was from the past and said he needed to go back to his time, they accepted him. Welcomed him as a son. Their child. Family. And one of their own. 

They showed the depth of their acceptance to such an extent that when the bad guy came for Lewis, they all went out of their way for him. He never had to say anything, but they understood his cry for help, stepped in and even risked their lives to protect him. 

They called him family and also showed him that he was one.

I rewatched that scene recently and wondered: what would have happened if they never accepted him? Would the bad guy have succeeded? Would Lewis have given up? 

While we’ll never know, one thing is for sure. Acceptance, true acceptance, is a profound act.

Whether it’s at home, work, or in friendships, being accepted as family, both literally and figuratively, can’t be underestimated.

Family is a big deal to me. I’m glad I have a fantastically amazing relationship with my family. We laugh, joke, cry, play and do life together.  

But beyond blood, I’ve found familyness in the most unexpected places. In friendships and at work. 

Familyness is rooted in acceptance, and it hits differently when you realize that there are people who, whether on good or bad days, accept you for who you are. 

So, use today to appreciate your familyness, wherever that may be.

Because there are people out there who wish they had one or some.