bound by blood

i'm realizing that family is completely subjective. i had to go to a funeral last weekend where i knew i was going to face a lot of family that i hadn't seen in many years because i'm "a bad communicator". thus, i was filled with a lot of guilt. why don't i maintain relationships with these people? well, after seeing them, instead of feeling guilt, i felt affirmed. why should we be forced to maintain relationships with people that don't fulfill us? i have awesome parents; they are my role models, my best friends....my family. i haven't spoken to my brother in four years...i could feel weird about this...or i could take into account the fact that if any of my friends or my boyfriend ever treated me the way he has, i would have kicked them to the curb. some of us our blessed with an amazing gene pool, some of us are not. and now i choose to choose my family, and not be bound by blood.