CELEBRATING COUSIN’S DAY

By Diane Forrest

My father had a brother and a sister, and my mother had a sister.  As their siblings grew up, married and had children of their own, they offspring became my first cousins.  My father's brother was the first to have a child; he became the oldest cousin, the cool guy.  He was the one we all looked up to, because he experienced everything first, and shared his experiences with the rest of us. He also lived in the big city in Texas, so was able to do a lot more than us in Mississippi.  He was the first to drive a car, the first to get a job, the first, and as far as I know, the only one to participate in a rodeo.  He was the first to date, the first to graduate, go to college, get married and have children of his own.  Even though we didn't have much opportunity to see him often, the times we spent together were like we had never been apart.  He was, and still is, an amazing superhero cousin.

My father's sister only had one child, a daughter.  She grew up very close to me and became more like a sister than a cousin.  We shared many memories together, many holiday get-togethers, and so much fun.  She was by my side when I was married, when I divorced, when I had my baby, when I remarried, and when my husband passed away.  I know that any time of the day or night I can call her, and she will be there for me, and sometimes even with a frozen Sara Lee Cheesecake with strawberry topping and two forks.

I recently celebrated a milestone birthday and these two cousins conspired together and threw me an incredible birthday weekend.  Even though I had been able to talk and keep up with my oldest cousin, it had been 30 years since I had seen him.  He surprised me along with my other cousin and made the trip from Texas to Mississippi leaving me shocked, awed and surprisingly speechless!

Friends my come and go in your life, but your family will always be there. Some are lucky, and have many close cousins who spend a lot of time together, and some only see each other and family functions.  I am lucky to have wonderful caring cousins that even though time and distance and life circumstances prevent us from seeing each other, I know that all I have to do is call out their name, and I know where ever I am they'll come running as fast as they can.

Today is Cousin's day, so why not take a few minutes and call your cousins or send a text or email just to let them know you are thinking of them and you appreciate them being a part of your life. 

Let us know of your cool cousins.