Cousin Connections

      I'm slicing with the Two Writing Teachers community today.  It's always good to read what everyone shares.  Thank you Stacey, Tara, Anna, Betsy, Dana, Kathleen, Beth, and Deb. I wonder if you're getting ready for the March challenge, making lists of topics, looking for inspiration every day?  My inspiration today came from a phone call from my brother, and a few pictures posted in a private FB site we cousins have.

         Nearly all my extended family lives in Missouri. I am fortunate to be able to visit at least once a year, and when my children were young, we returned every Christmas and in the summer too. I wanted my kids to know the family more than just a few day visit.  It isn't the same as living down the street or next door to grandparents, aunts and uncles, but we did have wonderful times together then. 
          Until middle school I lived in a small town, with those close relatives. And that included "cousins". There were eleven of us cousins, one is now out of touch and far away, and one passed away long ago as a young woman. We all miss her still. But the others, except for me, the "outlier" live in Missouri, some to the east, some to the west, and some in the middle. I am in touch with them all, and they have started to get together for an evening once a month, with or without spouses. Last Friday was the first regular time, sitting for hours at a restaurant, reminiscing, telling stories, laughing. I know because my brother called to tell me all about it. I'm going to try to be there sometime, haven't seen some in a long time. I was the oldest, then came six others close to the same age, then, in the year I was married, two more. 



       During our growing up years, we played and played, put on different kinds of performances for the family, ran all over town visiting different people, played games in whatever spaces we could find, sometimes the school playgrounds, sometimes nearby fields. If you grew up with some freedom and lots of cousins, I imagine you understand. 
        Of course life has moved on, some cousins are no longer with us, some have married and divorced and re-married, most had children and their children now have children. But I have a sense that everyone last week didn't talk much about today, but about those good times yesterday. I hope you have a few cousin memories, too!

Me with my Aunt Barb, before my brother,
and all those other cousins came along!

My brother on the left, then the next six.

Everyone a little older, this one includes the youngest.