They always say nothing is more important than family. I agree. But cousins, they're my favorite. They're like the siblings that you never had, and you love them just the same.
This past weekend my entire family was brought together by the death of my grandfather. Not the best circumstances, but we were all together supporting each other through this hard time. If you're family is like mine, we're all spread out across the country -- even some in other countries -- so any time that we can all be together is a special time.
While at the reception following my grandfather's memorial all the of the grandkids were gathered around a table talking and sharing memories. Since we are all spread out throughout the country it is rare that we are all in the same room for any amount of time. This was the moment when I realized just how important these people are to me. Cousins are some of the post important people we will ever have in our lives. They understand us, they love us unconditionally, and they share some of the most amazing experiences with us.
As we were circled around that table, we all shared memories we had of our grandfather -- accounting for all the things he did for us, and the lessons he taught us throughout or various years of life -- it hit us that these were some of the most cherished memories that we have, and they were all with each other.
My opinion: the more cousins, the better. The time spent with them is something so special that I can't even put it into words. Being one of the younger cousins in my family, my excitement couldn't be reined in when my older cousins finally arrived to whatever family function we were going to. I thought they walked on water -- I couldn't wait to play with them.
Now that all of us are grown up and living our own lives, we aren't doing so much playing, but sharing stories about the lives that we are leading. The best part is the laughs -- they are nonstop.
Being the grandkids of the family is almost like an exclusive club. We share some of the best memories that no one will ever be able to take away from us. Whether it's through school, sports, even major life events, we're always there for each other, supporting and lifting each other up along the way.
My first thought following this family gathering? What is going to happen once we are all grown up and have our own lives with our own, new, growing families? Are we all just going to move on and carry on our own lives, maybe seeing each other every now and then as family functions come up? I don't think so. Cousins aren't friends you make in middle school, that by the time you graduate high school or college are long forgotten. They are family, we share a connection that can't be broken with time, or distance.
My cousins are the siblings that I never had. They aren't meant to be people that come in and out of your life when it's convenient. They are meant to be there forever, no matter the distance.
To my cousins: I love you all forever and always.
