Family Ties

A couple of weeks ago, my grandma Moore and my Dad's brother's wife (Aunt Marian) flew through Calgary on their way to Manitoba to sell the family farm and the last of my great grandparents estate, which had been left to my Grandma and her brother, who is now living in a care home near my grandparents in Chilliwack BC. They had a 2 hr stop over at the Calgary Airport, so I took advantage of a great opportunity for Harrison to spend time with some extended family that he doesn't get the chance to see very often.

It's too bad that our family is so spread out, but we've actually done really well at staying in touch over the miles and the years. I grew up in Saskatoon, my dad's brother raised their family in Chilliwack BC, my dad's sister and her family as well as his youngest brother lived in Winnipeg MB for many years, and more recently Regina SK and my grandparents lived in southern MB before their move to BC. We've always managed to get together once a year with some of the family. But my best memories are of all of us getting together, usually gathering in the middle at our house in Saskatoon!

Cousins are special to me. I'm not sure why that is. They are like long lost siblings that you don't see often, but when you get together, the family ties and resemblences are so strong that no matter how far apart you've grown up from one another, you always feel connected. Perhaps that's part of the magic! Everyone wants to feel a sense of belonging, and getting together with extended family always made me feel like I was part of a much bigger picture, where there were always other kids waiting to play, new adventures to be had, a myriad of memories to be made and amazing things to discover! I always looked forward to those family reunions, that never seemed to come soon enough, but when they did, we'd run into eachother's arms, squeeze eachother so tight in big bear hugs before catching up on all the things we'd missed since our last get together. We'd all sleep on the basement floor in sleeping bags and stay up all night talking and giggling. The older cousins (me, since I am the oldest on both sides of the family) would take care of the younger ones as they followed us around by day, and we'd look forward to our wild nights once the little kids had gone to bed! Things were always rowdy when we were teenagers and we could get into more trouble...but we were pretty good kids!

I have warm memories of the adults chatting, cooking big meals to feed all of us and lots of hugs and kisses. The affection seemed to flow freely, and there was always someone around the next corner to wrap their arms around you, stating that it had been too long since our last hug, or an empty knee begging to be sat on, even as teenagers! I am blessed to be part of a very musical and creative family, so there were always kids putting on plays, adults gathered around the piano, singing and playing guitars. Lots of laughter....I can't think of one family member that doesn't have a great laugh, or that doesn't laugh often! And there were always stories being shared about my dad's generation, growing up in Manitoba and the childhood memories they have of playing with their cousins!

Now that we are mostly adults (there are some teens left in my generation!) our relationships have grown and transformed into a whole new level, as we continue to stay in touch as adults, and have children of our own. It is so fun to watch my cousins' children grow, and for Harrison to get to know them, and forge the same kind of connections with the next generation as I did with mine. I hope he finds a special place in his heart for all of these cousins! I am so fortunate to have such a big and loving family for Harrison to grow up in, and it will only continue to grow in love and numbers. From his great-grandparents to my cousins' children, I cherish every opportunity to get together with members from all the generations and to be part of the family circle.

QUESTION: My girlfriend often asks questions at the end of her entries, which is a great way to keep this interactive and ensure you leave a comment!!!! So I'm going to try it...guess I should give her the credit~thanx Angela!!! Here's my question...How many cousins do you have and are you close to them? Why or why not? Do you have that same sense of connectedness that I do? Do you have a special memory or a special cousin that stands out in your mind?

Hope you enjoy the questions and be sure to answer them!!! Can't wait to learn more about you!