Mary,
This was an interesting post. I've got to also confess that I use this term loosely, probably because I've been with my company for over 12 years and remember when it did feel like "family". I think that one way to change that term is to use "community" instead. As the organization I work at has grown, it looks a lot less like a family and more like a community where we do still care for one another, but there's no preconceived notions that, even though we are spread out over thousands of miles, we are still a family. I mean, I have third cousins that are technically family, but I have not spoken to them in over 5 years.
I've recently started to appreciate some of the other communities that I'm involved in, such as Lead Change. This past Christmas, I actually received more cards from clients that I help mentor than from my co-workers. Interesting that the people who have really shown that they care and appreciate me are the people I spend less time with but do have a deeper connection. I think that's the point: it's about how we connect, not about what we call ourselves.
Great post. I appreciate how risky it must have felt putting this out there.
Best, Jake