We assume family means blood, and just because you’re blood, doesn’t actually make you family. A real family is people who are there for you, just as you are there for them. The ones who you have no hesitation on being dependent on or for.

When I first started brainstorming how exactly I was going to write this, I had no idea what I was going to say. It wasn’t exactly a topic that I could relate to, or at least in the way I felt I was expected to relate to it. It’s not that I don’t have a good life at home or a family that isn’t there for me, because I do; but really, how much can you say about that, that hasn’t already been said?

It’s quite ironic actually, because the more and more I thought about how I was going to write this editors note about family, the more the aspect of being there for someone no matter what seemingly kept being brought up or occurring in my life. From talking with friends, watching TV shows, being at the Quill and Scroll International Journalism Honors Society induction, and even experiencing it first-hand when certain friends made it their goal to find out what’s been going on with others or me, I was constantly being reminded of this kind of care. I realized that’s what family meant. It’s not whether or not you share the same blood type; instead it’s who will truly be there for you no matter what, even when you tell them everything’s okay and you know it’s not. They know because family knows.

Family is who you care about; the people you love, the people you trust, the people you can drop anything and everything for in times of need.

You may look at certain people now and think: yeah I like him or her, they’re pretty cool. But what are they going to mean to you in several years when they’re off to college. Anything? Those people aren’t forever. Forever is even when you’re off to college or apart from them and they’ll make it their goal to find out what’s been going on in your life and you would do the same for them Forever is when you get together after not seeing each other for awhile and don’t have to play catch up, because you already know what’s been going on in their life, and they with yours.

Family means forever. Family is forever.

This magazine is dedicated to family, all versions of it. We explore divorce, health, wellness, love, relationships and children. We took an in-depth look at technology and social media and how that impacts relationships and communication within the family. We attempted to figure out what family should mean.

This magazine comes from family as well.

One thing that many people don’t understand about what we do is that it requires everyone to get to the final product, and it requires countless hours of working together to get there. This is our family: we fight, we bicker, we share meals, we work hard and we care about each other. This magazine is a perfect example of this, from start to finish. As you explore the pages of this magazine, I urge you to think differently about family and who is family in your life. Why are they there? Who are they there for? Are they willing to help you move at a moment’s notice? Are they willing to stay up until 2 a.m. making sure your version of “okay” is finally, genuinely okay? Are they willing to call you out when you aren’t being yourself? If they are, they aren’t just a friend; they’re family.