I love my cousins. And I sure have lots of them. So much of my childhood and early adulthood was spent in their company. Weekend visits, family birthdays, holiday dinners, vacations. My mum and two of her sisters lived close by. One aunt was a block away, the other about 20 minutes away. Rarely a day went by when I didn't have cousins around.
My mum's cousin lived an hour away. Those visits were extra special because we got the whole weekend together. Summers were spent together as aunts, uncles and Granny came from Scotland to visit. And then our week at the cottage. Mum and dad rented a cottage from our neighbours and EVERYONE showed up at some point. Sometimes for the duration.
As we got older, we tended to go our separate ways. And with parents aging we have had the chance to re-connect. Two years ago, I reconnected with my cousins who moved out west. It was like we had never been apart. Spending time with them is my happy place. Mostly for the laughter and the shared memories.
Two weeks ago, I was at a Celebration of Life for an uncle. And had a chance to re-connect with other cousins. Although the event was sad, the time together wasn't. We spent lots of time looking at old photos and recalling times spent together as kids.
Really, once people leave our lives, all that we have left are the memories. I am so incredibly blessed to have shared memories with my cousins. I love my cousins.
I know exactly what you mean. My grandmother and her sisters and any children got together regulary and then their children did also or kept in touch by phone or letter. My generation has lost contact with all but first cousins. I was able to make contact with a second cousin through a message board. For this reason I started a Facebook group to connect the grandchilren and great grandchildren of these sisters and their brothers. We are slowly adding members. Some distant cousins from Scotland (from the original family area) have also joined. I hope that this will be a positive step for our family.
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