Who do we call family? Day 29’s prompt for #Gratitude30 is “family” and we are invited to appreciate the people in our lives that we call family.

These are the people who have shaped our lives, who celebrate us, who teach us and love us. Sometimes I think that a lot of the troubles we have in this world is because of a lack of understanding, or perhaps a loss of understanding, about this one word - family.

There is a verse, a śloka from the Mahā Upaniṣad (6.71–75) that is widely used and shared and is translated as:

“This is mine, that is his, say the small minded,

The wise believe that the entire world is a family.”

Who do we think of as family? Who do you find community with? Who helps to shape your thoughts and ideas? Who supports you and nourishes you? Who are you connected to?

When I look at my life, the answers to these questions are many. From my immediate family to my extended family, my friends and their families, my spiritual community, the communities I am helping to create.

Today I am appreciating all of these people for contributing, in big ways and small, to my growth and my happiness. I reflect on how I can support them in my own way.

Who do you consider to be family?

~Renee Arundhati

*these posts are also being shared on my social media (Instagram and Facebook) as I have shared there over the past years.