Mixed Nuts: MWA Piece

The word family means different things to different people. What is the being defined as the defined as family has changed as time has moved on. At times people question what is family. The meaning of family from one person to another is a debatable subject. Because there may never be a right or true meaning as to what is the "right" or "true" meaning.

The word family is like the word nuts, such as Almonds, Cashews, and Macadamia Nuts and so on. If we were almonds would we only call other almonds family. But in a way can't we call cashews and macadamia nuts our family too? Because families change from day to day. We all change and that changes our family too... Typically in the past family has meant those who is related to one's self by blood or by marriage. The definition was limited to people such as mother, father, brother, sister, and so on, thus making them the almonds. Sometimes this form of the word family whom cared for some one who was not necessarily related them, like the cashews and macadamia nuts.

Now in present times most anyone can constitute as family. There are some people who do not refer to their "real" relatives as family. The new meaning covers anyone that person could care about and vice versa. Such as a teacher, friend, coach,youth group and so on, the list is endless.

A family member that could fall under the category of Almond would be a person who a person shares DNA. Such as mom, dad, sister, brother, etc. Sometimes this person may not be as close as one might hope. These circumstances will arise because they may have relatives that live out of state or even out of country. But they can be there for someone as times permits.

Tina Messina, a mother of one is considered to be one of the best mom's ever. Her daughter loves that she is always there even though she doesn't always appreciate it lie she should. She is there to encourage her daughter to be all that she could ever dream of. Even though her daughter is now nineteen she is still looking out for her as if she was only nine without being overbearing. She consoles her daughter when she is sad or makes mistakes. She almost never says "Well, I told you so", but says "Well you can try again next time. The perfect example of an Almond family member.

A "family member" that could fall under the the category of Cashew is some one that one person cannot live without speaking or seeing them at least three times a week. Or maybe some one who is there for another person no matter what. Other people may call this a "best friend." But just the same they are somewhat family.

Tina Kahler, a friend once said, "Friends are the family that you pick. Friends are family that are there for you no matter what. Because there are circumstances where you can't see your "real" family and you have to make do with the good friends that you have." The reason why she said this is because she is from North Carolina and she can't always pick up and go see the relatives she wants too. So when she gets home sick she calls one of her closest friends that is in the same boat. This really helps her with the separation anxiety. This is the perfect example of a Cashew family member.

A " family member" that could fall under the category of Macadamia Nut is someone who is just a good friend that is there for a person but not necessarily your best friend. Such as a person who sits by you in class or some one that you work with or a fellow youth group member. These people are there for you but not like an Almond or Cashew might be. Thus introducing the Macadamia Nut.

Jackson Bennett, a former youth pastor at the Father's House Foursquare Church taught his youth group students that we are all children of God. So from then on the youth group referred to each other as "brother" or "sister" not as friends. This is a way that he called, "Getting rid of your "COOL" card." This eliminated the the politics of having cliques as we did in school. We put our differences aside and we were all friends. Also to show us that we all shared the same love for God and we looked different on the outside but our hearts were the same one the outside. This is the perfect example of a Macadamia Nut family member.

Mixed Nuts is a way to describe the way that the word has evolved from that of the past. Because the "real" family member is not always close and a person will have to make do without them. So whether or not a person considers the philosophy that "Family is like mixed nuts" is up to them.