Write Team: Family goes beyond relatives

One of my favorite movies of all time is the Robin Williams classic film “Mrs. Doubtfire.”

I won’t bore you with the entire plot of the movie but through a series of events, most of which were not in his control, Robin Williams creates an alter ego that is that of a British nanny that will allow him to take care of his kids, that he is about to lose in a divorce.

The movie is about family. Robin William’s character in the movie is Daniel Hillard, a guy who never really hit his potential in life until he created his alter ego. As Daniel Hillard, due to divorce, he is denied access to his children, so Mrs. Doubtfire steps in, which allows him to not only see his kids every day but to take care and love them.

Released in 1993, Mrs. Doubtfire, while quirky at times, was a look into the ever-changing nature and definition of families. Family dynamics change, get bigger, spread a wider net and start to include what we now call an extended family.

We all have extended families that are not blood. In my own case, I have come to realize that the extended families can provide a connective support system just as vital as my blood family.

I am fortunate to have several work families in my life. In my main vocation, I have been with my current employer just over 27 years and the people I work with there have merged into a seamless group of family members that I love more than words can ever express. I have seen associates get married and start to raise their own families. We share stories about our kids, both good and bad, talk about our pets, mainly dogs. Over the weekend, one of my work family members had to put their dog of 10 years to sleep and I mourned with them, just as though it were my dog too.

I’m lucky enough to have a second work family at Mueller Funeral Home. While I have only been there about two and a half years, the people I serve with have become family. Some are young enough to be my kids, others are like little brothers and others are like those cousins you don’t see often enough but know they would be there for you in a heartbeat if they knew you needed them.

In Mrs. Doubtfire, Danial Hillard gets the last laugh, as the character he created become a children’s television star, thereby broadening his reach as nanny to countless children around the country. In one of the more poignant scenes, Mrs. Doubtfire is answering letters from kids going through family changes of their own. A young viewer named Katie writes in to ask Mrs. Doubtfire how to cope with her parent’s divorce ad the fact that she may have to move far away from her home. Mrs. Doubtfire’s response is golden:

“There are all sorts of different families, Katie. Some families have one mommy, some families have one daddy or two families. And some children live with their uncle or aunt. Some live with their grandparents, and some children live with foster parents. And some live in separate homes, in separate neighborhoods, in different areas of the country – and they may not see each other for days, or weeks, months… even years at a time. But love is what binds us all. If there is love present, then they are family.”

To all the families in my life, I love you all.