My Family by 'Heart' Is Just as Important as My Family by Blood

When I was around 5 years old, I remember looking at my mom's best friend, whom I called "aunt" and saying out of the blue: "You're not my real aunt." It wasn't intentionally malicious and was a true fact — she isn't my mother's sister by blood, but I could tell it hurt her nonetheless. "We're not related by blood," she admitted, "but we are by heart, where it counts." At the time, I probably shrugged, said “OK,” and went back to playing.