cousins

In my cousin, I find a second self.

Isabel Norton

i want to write about my cousins. i have a large number of them. and some of them are the best friends i have ever had. 

many people that i know only have one or two cousins. or they are not close to their cousins. or they never even talk to them. this is so foreign. to me, a "cousin" is your closest relation. you can't get any closer than a cousin, in my humble opinion ...

so i want to write about how i experience cousins ...

A cousin is a sister you never had

Anonymous

CP is my cousin, my friend, my confidant, and my other half. we were inseparable for many years, growing up together, playing in the basement, writing in our diaries, making secret codes, talking on the phone for hours ...

A cousin is the one who is already there doing it when everyone else is saying is there anything I can do?

Anonymous

in my family, cousins know what needs to be done. when there is a death, the food starts to be prepared, the cousins show up and start to organize. there is no need to ask for help, it has already been offered - whether you know you need the help or not. 

A cousin is a little bit of childhood that can never be lost.Anonymous

most of my childhood memories involve cousins. D and the red plastic shoe incident, campfires at the cottage, swimming to the raft, walking through the woods, visiting the cemetery in the dark, making easter bunny cupcakes, taking care of babies, and most of all, having someone to talk to. BH singing wacky made-up songs on the danforth, making snow homes for plastic bunnies, and watching little rascals on sunday mornings.

A cousin is someone who knows all about you but likes you anyway.Anonymous

cousins know your secrets and stay. cousins know you at your lowest and are there to pick you up. 

Cousins by blood – friends by choice.Darlene Shaw

as we have gotten older, cousins have formed friendships. i don't have to talk to my cousins. we could spend the rest of our lives never seeing each other. but i choose to be friends with CP and with D and with BH. i choose to share my life with them. i choose them, not because they are my cousins, but because of our history. 

“Nobody will understand the craziness of your family better than your cousins”

you don't have to explain anything to your cousins. they get it. they've been there. they know that christmas dinner requires kinder eggs. they know that your elderly aunt will make inappropriate unfiltered comments and will need a drive home. they know who pushes your buttons and why and they know how to run interference. 

“Friendship is the only cement that will ever hold the cousins together.” ~ Woodrow Wilson

despite the large number of us, we could easily drift apart. it is our love and friendship that holds us cousins together. the laughter. the shared memories. the shared knowledge of the woodstove at the cottage and how to light it. the fact that the porch light was always on in case someone unexpected arrived in the middle of the night. 

and finally ...

“Cousins are like Bras… close to the heart and always there for support.”

be kind to yourself, and to your cousins ...

xoxo

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