Family

Growing up I thought everyone had 8 Aunts and Uncles, 12 cousins and a collage of laughter and fun that never ended.
As I grew up, I realized how different and very special I am to have had all these wonderful people around me.
My Grandma has just turned 80, she still works, she still plays, she still likes you to pop-in at her house and won't hesitate to ask you to help her do something she cannot do.  Every lunch and supper has a dessert attached.  And if she knows your favorite, that's what you're having.  She married young, had 9 kids.  Unfortunately, my Grandpa was in a car accident and died before I was born.  She remarried later and my new Grandpa already had 3 kids.  That is one big family.


Growing up, my generation was born in 2's.  My cousin and I are 3 months apart.  His sister and my brother the same.  Then 2 more, then another, then one after another after another after another.
Most of my aunts and uncles, got divorced and remarried, brought in more kids or had more kids.
I have a LOT of cousins.  This was normal to me until I became an adult and talked to friends about their family gatherings.  They had 1 or 2 cousins.  One aunt, maybe an uncle.  WHOA!!  That's just nuts!  When people meet my family you are greeted with hugs and love and welcomed.  We know we aren't perfect, but we are there for each other.  The uncles are all tight and the aunts are all tight.  They go on weekend trips together for golfing or quilting or whatever suits their fancy.
As I approach an age they were when the divorces started happening and the cousins went off to college and got married, moved away had kids.  We have what we call "Cousin parties"  Now these are just for the cousins.  Not our parents.  We do these at least once a year and get a photo of everyone that can join us as we get older.  This is just our generation, not our kids.  Our kids even have to stay away with our parents.  It's an adult thing. 
I know that our parents did this when we were younger, they had their parties, brother and sister parties, just like our cousin parties.  As cousins, we wonder if they have as much fun.  We imagine so.  As my cousin Lucky and I are the oldest, we make sure to get ourselves together often.
I cannot put into words the comraderie of our Christmases where we actually rent a facility to hold our gathering, and how others would walk in and see this as normal to us.
I cannot imagine growing up only having one cousin. 
My fondest memory growing up was how all of us would play under the giant dining room table while all our parents played cards, for hours and hours.
The family photos on Grandmas front porch swing.  My Grandmas famous lasagna.  The way my Grandma laughs.
It's so very true how the saying goes, your cousins are truly your first and very best friends.
So to all my cousins out there in Florida, Texas, Northern and Southern Indiana, Kentucky, I love each of you and I'm so grateful that we are as close as we are.
Stay real.