Time to Blog

Well, I suppose I need to get back to blogging and my Cousins.

My hiatus from Cousins was filled with travel and adventure. Cruising down the Rhine and Danube Rivers of Europe was relaxing, educational and exhausting. My favorite sites were the massive Cologne Cathedral at night, vineyards on the hillsides, and of course, Budapest by night. Two of the three I had seen before, but still these sites can almost stop one’s breath.

 This fall I had the opportunity to celebrate a special birthday with family. Cousins and kids, friends and relatives gathered from several states to acknowledge the 60 year anniversary of one of my younger cousin's birth. My younger cousin is 60. Yikes! I am getting old.

The birthday honoree received the news that his first grandchild is on the way. I couldn't help but think of the phenomenon of the family continuing on and on and on. It spreads farther and farther and real effort must be made to keep those special connections.

Families, including ours, have done that for decades. My childhood memories feature mostly my mother's side. We had birthday parties, hunting parties, Sunday dinners and holiday gatherings. Then, sometimes we had a reunion when relatives who lived far away came to town.

Times change. Traditions change. Families scatter.  Sometimes we have to work hard to keep the connections. But, we don’t give up. We are family.