Cousins

I have my immediate cousins, children born of my mother's sisters. As children and young adults we were very closely connected like real brothers and sisters. Attending family functions of all sorts together, supporting each other through all types of life moments and always each others confidant. I am the oldest of the bunch and have watched my baby cousins turn into adults with lives of their own. Through the years we have all chosen our own paths in life to follow, for better or worse. I feel as if our immediate family bonds of closeness and unity that were once there are now faded. Perhaps I am reading too much into this, but I guess I miss my cousins and what we once shared.

A decade ago a distant cousin contacted us out of the blue. Her mother was first cousins with my dad. From the moment I spoke to her we hit it off and she inspired my desire for genealogy and family history. Since then I have been fortunate to make contact with several other distant but related cousins. The terminology of our relationships could be described as first cousins once removed or 3rd cousins and others you would call shirttail relations. All in all no matter the distance of the relation I consider them family because we care about being united and connecting as a way to share not only family history but to be able to pass our history on to future generations. I am grateful for the chance of meeting a few of my new found cousins and some cousins I never met we communicate often on the phone or email. It is uncanny how by getting know them for such a short time that I feel like I've know them all my life.

Being the genealogist and family historian I value my relationships with family whole heartily. In time I am sure that my immediate cousins and I will be able to form newer bonds that can bring us close once again.


Wikipedia Cousin Relationship Chart