BLOOD IS THICKER THAN WATER

At some point in our lives we all have heard the phrase, "blood is thicker than water," said with a strong undertone of undying loyalty and unending commitment to those who we are kin to. There are some family members who that statement wholeheartedly applies to but there are others who we would rather throw in the trash, you know the ones who you avoid at the family functions and only speak to because your Mom makes your grown self do so? On the other hand, life has lended you some people whose connection to you has reached beyond the threshold of typical friendship. These friends have become more family to you than your own relatives and it's hard for you to imagine life without them.

Most people would characterize the idiom as a way of saying that family relationships are the most important. The blood you share with your relatives represents a strong relationship. In the idiom the ‘blood’ is represented as family and ‘water’ represents the connections you have with people with whom you do not share blood ties. And those links simply are not as strong.

So, the idiom "blood is thicker than water" means family ties are the strongest. That makes sense, right?

Well, it makes sense until you hear the whole idiom as it was first written in the Bible. The original saying is: "Blood of the covenant is thicker than water of the womb."

This means that the family you choose is stronger than the one you’re born into. Those who stand by you, who shed blood in the battle beside you, are your real family. Bonds of loyalty and choices are stronger than mere genetics.

"Family isn't always blood. It's the people in your life who want you to be in theirs; the ones who accept you for who you are. The ones who would do anything to see you smile, who protect you, who love you no matter what and those who make you their priority."