The Family We Are Born Into, and The Family We Find Along the Way

As I sit here today, thinking about what to write for October, so many things come to mind.

Looking through my window, I can see the little forest surrounding our house. The trees are slowly changing colors, we had our first frost of the season last night, and Halloween decorations are beginning to appear around the neighborhood.

There is something magical about October, isn't there?

But today, my thoughts are travelling a little further than the forest outside my window. They are taking me back to Brazil, to my childhood, to a house full of people, laughter, conversations, and, of course, food!

Have you ever watched My Big Fat Greek Wedding?

I always joke that someone must have secretly followed my family around to make that movie. The only difference is that my family came from Italy, not Greece!

Growing up in Brazil, we didn't celebrate Thanksgiving. But family, togetherness, and gratitude were very much part of our everyday lives.

I grew up surrounded by grandmas, aunties, uncles, cousins, godparents, siblings, and people who were so close to us that the word family seemed to stretch a little further every time. Most Sundays, we would gather at my grandmother's house for lunch. I can still remember the noise, the laughter, the conversations happening all at once, and the wonderful smell of homemade food coming from the kitchen. My grandmother and her sister were always cooking. Everything was homemade, and food was their love language.

My grandma had a solution for absolutely everything.

If I was happy, she would say, "You're happy? Let's eat and celebrate!"

If I was sad, it was, "You're sad? Let's eat, and you'll feel better!"

And somehow, sitting around her table, things really did seem a little better.

Oh, how I miss my grandma!!

There is something about grandmothers, isn't there? That special kind of love, the warmth, the protection, the feeling that no matter what happens in the world, there is someone who will always be on your side.

I lost my mother when I was very young, so my grandmother was much more than a grandma to me. She was my mama bear, always ready to protect me, defend me, and love me unconditionally.

Looking back today, I realize what an incredible privilege it was to grow up surrounded by so much family.

At the time, I didn't think much about it. It was simply life. Sunday lunches, birthdays, family gatherings, people coming and going from our house, someone always ready to help, and someone always telling you what to do or to eat a little more!  I didn't realize how much those ordinary moments were giving me. A sense of belonging. A place where I was loved, and people I could count on. Sometimes, we only understand the true value of a moment many years after it has passed.

Today, living in Canada, our family life looks quite different.

Unfortunately, my children haven't had the opportunity to grow up surrounded by the same big extended family that I had in Brazil. Sometimes that makes my heart a little sad.

But life has a beautiful way of surprising us.

The Creator has placed wonderful people along our journey. People who arrived as friends and, little by little, became family. Our family by heart.

Yesterday, after our Thanksgiving dinner, I was sitting there watching my big sister by heart and my daughter laughing, joking, and teasing each other.

Suddenly, I was transported back to my childhood.

For a moment, I could almost hear my aunties laughing, feel the warmth of family gatherings, and remember the love that surrounded me growing up…

And there it was, right in front of me again.

Different country. Different people. Different generation. But that same beautiful feeling of belonging.

My heart was so full of love and gratitude.

It made me think about how family isn't always defined by blood. Sometimes, family is built through the little things. Through showing up, sharing meals, laughing together, supporting one another, and simply being there.

Maybe one of the greatest gifts we can give ourselves and our children isn't a perfect life, but the experience of being surrounded by people who genuinely love us, just as we are.

As October fills our homes with the smell of pumpkin pie, cinnamon, warm meals, and all the wonderful things that come with autumn, I hope we remember that the most precious part of gathering around a table isn't necessarily what we are eating.

It's who we are sharing it with.

And if your family looks a little different from the one you grew up with, perhaps there is beauty in that too.

Because sometimes, the family we find along the way becomes just as precious as the family we were born into.

Happy Thanksgiving, from my family to yours.