What Family Looks Like (dial-up warning)

[Solly Mack]

Like This











And Like This








And Even Like This



Family can be the one you were born into...
Family can be the one you build with another person
Family can be you - another person - and your children
Family can be you - and your child or children
Family can be the one you create with your friends

What Makes a Family?



And love is the only family value you really need

[countingbluecars]

1. Beautiful.

A nice way to start the morning. Thanks.

[Solly Mack]

2. Welcome!! & Good Morning, countingbluecars!

[xchrom]

3. ...

:woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo:

[Solly Mack]

9. .....

Thanks!

:)

[Psychmd]

4. Thanks for sharing....Love the pics

[Solly Mack]

10. Welcome! They gave me a smile too

[zbdent]

5. as a side note, I wonder when the right-wingers are going to start

ignorantly attacking "single moms" raising children on their own ... when the ones they're attacking are Iraqi war widows ...

[Solly Mack]

11. doublepost

[Solly Mack]

12. and you know they will

Telling'em they should "get married"...but wait..oops!

[ScreamingMeemie]

6. Wow, Solly...

Thanks. I am so glad I'm starting the day with these images.

[Karenina]

7. Me too!!!

K&R!

[Solly Mack]

15. Thanks, Karenina!!!

:loveya:

[Solly Mack]

14. Welcome, MrsGrumpy!

(who never seems to be grumpy)

:)

You'd think some people would *get it* when they go off spouting about "family values"

They don't want to get it.

[Karenina]

40. Both you and I could take MrsGrumpy

to a family gathering and announce with pleasure, "LOOK WHO I FOUND!!! ANOTHER CUZ!!!" secure in the knowledge that she would be embraced as FAMILY IMMEDIATELY. We could also announce that we'd simply adopted her as extended family with the same result.

It's a TOTAL OTHER experience to be born into a "multi-culti" family. It erases the "exclusion factor" as anyone you meet could be blood kin, NO MATTER WHAT THEY LOOK LIKE. Good people and bad people are identified and recognized by their ACTIONS and NOT what they look like.

FIRST COUSINS


FIRST COUSINS AND TANTE HILDE


FIRST COUSINS AND THOSE "ONCE REMOVED"


We do not see each other as white or black. WE ARE FAMILY. I recently met my 3 year old first cousin (twice removed). He genarally doesn't take to strangers kindly. All his doting, beloved Oma had to say is, "She's MY cousin. We're like you and Jan!" "OOOOH! Hallo, Karenina! Komm mit! Wir spielen!" So I spent the next 2 hours, quite happily, on the floor with racecars, magnets, puzzles, u.s.w.

When miscegenation overcomes ethnic and/or color identity we homo sapiens WIN.

[Rockholm]

8. Very nice.

[Solly Mack]

16. Thanks!

[Catherine Vincent]

13. Very sweet!

Thanks. :hi:

[Solly Mack]

17. Welcome,cat_girl25

:hi:

[InvisibleTouch]

18. Great pics!

For me, family looks like myself and my pets. I've had to create it myself, but I wouldn't want any other version. Whatever group someone is happy with, is a good thing.

[Solly Mack]

20. Exactly!!!!

Thank you!!!!!

[demrabble]

19. LOVEly

What a LOVEly thing to have posted.

Thank you so much.

[Solly Mack]

22. welcome, demrabble

Families are to be celebrated...not kept apart by hate and bigotry

[Octafish]

21. I love your family, Solly Mack.

I mean "families" and all their members.

Thank you for an excellent post, hermana.

[Solly Mack]

23. I love your family, too, Octafish!

I wish some folks didn't feel the need to deny others a family

[cboy4]

24. What a nice looking group of people

**except** for the gays.

Could you delete those pics so we don't offend the conservatives on the board? :eyes:

[Solly Mack]

30. I'll take it under consideration

*flush*

:)

[Booster]

59. Damn, there goes another keyboard.

[swimboy]

25. Very lovely. My family looks like this

[Solly Mack]

31. Beautiful!

[Nimrod2005]

41. You had a Snickers bar at your house?

:rofl:

[swimboy]

55. Umm, no.

:banghead:

[blonndee]

56. Beautiful pictures!

Thanks for sharing swimboy!

[flamin lib]

26. If you can find a copy of Edward Stiechen's FAMILY OF MAN

it's worth the look.

[Solly Mack]

32. Thanks!!

Will do

[CrispyQ]

27. Love makes a family ---- ahhh, that is so wonderful!

Very nice. Thank you!

:thumbsup:

[Solly Mack]

33. Welcome, CrispyQGirl!!

[Nimrod2005]

28. All my friends!!!

[Solly Mack]

35. Yes!

[Midlodemocrat]

29. How beautiful, Solly Mack!

:hug:

[Solly Mack]

36. Hey,Midlodemocrat!

:hug:

[Blue_In_AK]

34. Beautiful photos.

Thank you for posting. :)

[Solly Mack]

37. Welcome, Blue_In_AK

:hi:

[SeattleGirl]

38. How beautiful, Solly.

Thank you; looking at these pictures made me smile.

[Solly Mack]

39. Hiya, SeattleGirl

Thanks!!

[IronLionZion]

42. It takes a family

I've always maintained that family values means allowing gays to have families too.

Maybe it takes a village too. It probably takes a combination of family and village to raise a child.

I like seeing gay families with children, especially if they are adopted. There are many children out there who wish they had any kind of family at all.

[Solly Mack]

43. Rick Santorum? Rick Santorum?

In this thread, of all threads?

Rick Santorum's idea of "family" is NOT what this thread is about - and never will be.

[IronLionZion]

46. Solly, I was just being silly!

:silly: There are many types of families.

[Solly Mack]

48. Whew!

Thanks!! :)

[bobbolink]

44. Wonderful collage!!

Would make a GREAT billboard!

:hi:

[Solly Mack]

47. Hi, bobbolink!

Thanks!!

I can see that ... all over the country

I think would it *click* with most people

[Beelzebud]

45. America is a beautiful country from certain perspectives.

Those photos show that America isn't so bad once you get past our corporate masters and politicians.

Great post!

K&R

[Solly Mack]

49. Thanks, Beelzebud

I agree. There's beauty - once we get past that huge speed bump of ugly.

[Lisa]

58. like watching flowers burst upwards through asphalt paving ...

Beautiful.

[myrna minx]

50. K&R. What a lovely thread.

:loveya:

[Solly Mack]

51. Thanks, myrna minx

People take their rights for granted and never think about what they would lose if those rights were denied to them - part of equality for all under the law IS the family (to marry, to have and raise children, to inherit, to visit your family in the hospital, etc). Those things aren't the sum total of family but there is no denying that those protections play a big part of it.


:hug:

[Karenina]

54. My youngest was SOOO WHITE when he was born.

On my first day out with him at the supermarket, the woman in line behind me remarked on how cute he was and asked if I was babysitting. I told her NO. She then ran to the store manager demanding he call the police on this black woman who had stolen a white baby. He told her to FUCK OFF. I was a member of the late night shopper "family." He was the last to wish me everything good before I went in for my C-section. :rofl:

[bobbolink]

70. Aw, geeeez..... some people!

It's so amazing the assumptions that people make, and the accusations they make before checking out their assumptions!

I've seen so much with homelessness, and the assumptions and accusations made, and I can only imagine some of the racial stuff.

I'm so glad you have a human store manager, who set this busybody straight!! :applause:

Here's best wishes for *your* family! :toast:

[blm]

52. I LOVE YOU, Solly Mack.

You are one of my DU family.

[Solly Mack]

53. Awww!!!!!

:loveya:

:hug:

Thank you for that!!!!

[Swamp Rat]

57. :-)

:hug:

[Solly Mack]

60. Hey Swamp!

:hug:

[Karenina]

61. Hi Swampers!!!

:loveya:

[SalmonChantedEvening]

62. Welcome to the family Solly Mack

:loveya: :loveya: :loveya: (repeat for as long as you like) :D

That was beautiful :hug:

[Solly Mack]

66. Thank you, SalmonChantedEvening

:hug:

[YellowRubberDuckie]

63. That is so true.

You define who your family is. Not blood, not Pat Robertson, but you. Love whoever you want, and make your own family where you can. Most of the time the family we choose is much happier than the one we were born into. :grouphug:
Duckie

[Solly Mack]

67. Well said, Duckie!

:hug:

[jonnyblitz]

64. another great thread from one of my favorite DUers

I hope you are well! :hug: :hi:

[Solly Mack]

68. Hey, you!

:D

:hug:

Thank you. Wishing the same for you!

[La Lioness Priyanka]

65. hey...

[Solly Mack]

69. Gorgeous!!!

[bliss_eternal]

71. Thank you, Solly Mack!

This is SO beautiful...! :loveya::hug:

:hi: your friend in cyberspace,
bliss

[Karenina]

73. Hi Bliss!!!

:loveya:

[Solly Mack]

74. Hey, bliss!

:hug:

:)

You're welcome!

[XemaSab]

72. I don't have a picture

But two white guys and their two black adopted daughters too. :hug:

[Solly Mack]

75. Hi, XemaSab!

Yes!

:hug: