What is family?

Recent events in my own family, have brought the question to mind ... again... what is family? I'm not talking about blood. That's the easy definition, and one, to be honest, that I don't put a whole lot of stock in. Biological parents run out on their kids every day. Sisters and brothers turn their backs on each other. In my case, grandmothers disown their granddaughters.

The family you are born into is just a starting place. They may stay an integral, healthy, welcome part of your life always. They may be the biggest part of your life, but there are other people who become family for reasons far beyond blood. As you get older, you find another family along your way. No, they aren't all waiting along life's path in one place, but you collect them as you pass through time. Some stay forever, and some are only with you for a time. But each plays a role in who you are and who you become.

I'm not big on church, and I don't believe in the Bible as history, but one of my favorite books of all time (not just in the Bible, but in general) is The Book of Ruth. It's an amazing story about two women who are not blood, but become family to each other. "Whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God."

So here's my question to the masses, some who are my family, some who are total strangers: What is family? What makes someone your family?

I'm not looking for complex answers. A word or phrase will do. Love. Trust. Loyalty. Taking care of each other.