Mom was born in West Virginia, “The Appalachian Mountains” she’ll tell you. She grew up with her mom, step-dad, two half brothers, aunts, uncles, and cousins. When she came up to NY, she settled with an older couple who never had children. It was at a time in her life when she needed them, and they needed her. She learned quickly that family doesn’t necessarily mean blood. As she will tell anyone, she’s had the privilege of “collecting” her family over her lifetime. My dad can say the same. His two brothers, my uncles, were not blood. Yet they are the closest family we have.