Cousins

What is it about cousins? My kids have just spent this holiday season with all of their cousins. Including our cousins from Virginia. It was a continual sleepover. Boy cousins at one house. Girl cousins at another. All cousins at Grandma's. Really they could have spent every waking and non-waking minutes together. I was thinking about my own cousins and how important they are to me. Cousins play a special role in my life. They are the ones I played with, fought with, laughed with and got into trouble with. These are the people who helped me learn the finer points of pinochle and how to cheat the younger players. We camped and cross-country skied together. We cheered each other on when learning to waterski. They are the ones who love me and support me and would drop everything to help me. We share a history. We took care of our Grandpa as he struggled with Alzheimers. We love and take care of our funny Grandma. We share inside jokes. They get me. As we left our Cousins Christmas Party this year, my heart was so full. I thought of how lucky I am to call these great people MY FAMILY.