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I’ve been seeing a lot of people sharing “Humans of New York” posts lately featuring quotes from random people pulled from the sidewalks and streets of The Big Apple. Normally I just skim through shared posts or sometimes don’t read them at all. However, for some reason I actually took the time to read this one and was caught by the timeliness of it. The post had a picture of a tall man from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (according to the caption). His story was the following:

“I’m embarrassed to say this, but I’ll say it. I’ve had a really hard time finding work, so I’ve been living with my grandmother. And she’s told me recently that she doesn’t have the money to feed me. So I’ve been eating at my friend’s house. I go over there, and I’m too embarrassed to ask for anything, but his dad always insists. He says: ‘Why aren’t you eating? Please, eat!’ This has really caused my idea of ‘family’ to widen. I’ve learned that your family can be anyone.”

His story really hit home. Recently, I have crossed paths with various women who are different from one another in careers, style, humor, and age. But the tie that binds is we are all black, single, Christian women. The funny part is we all got connected in different ways but managed to find each other and unite as kindred spirits. Sonya I met at a networking event a couple of years ago and we kept running into each other, finally deciding that we should probably be friends. Daron and I worked together at my previous job and despite being in the same office building and sharing a few elevator rides, we never spoke outside of a “hello” or “I like your shoes/hair/purse”. After about one year of this we decided to go to lunch. That lunch led to us realizing that we are sisters from different misters. Satina became my work bestie and confidant when I started a new job and was unsure whether or not I would fit in. Cici and Kim, I met through Satina. I instantly connected with Cece as an entrepreneur and lover of life, and Kim as a genuinely caring and driven person. Somehow, we all managed to link up thanks to a brunch one morning.

Since then we’ve all had moments where we’ve needed someone to confide in, pray with, or just grab a quick bite to eat with and found ourselves turning to one of these women that 2 months ago we didn’t even know existed. I love how God works and gives us ways to expand our familial unit without the need of shared genetics. I’ve had three people in the group separately tell me how thankful they are that we’ve all become friends and know that these friendships are divinely appointed. I for one am so grateful for this family that God has blessed me with. I know that amazing things are going to come about because we’ve all found each other.

Do you have someone that is family to you that you don’t share a bloodline with? I’d love to hear your story.