Cousins!

My cousin Mike posted on facebook yesterday in memory of our cousin Gene Raymond, who was a good friend to Mike, and who passed away 35 years ago when he was young.  Mike was just reminding us to tell those cousins we love how we feel, because we never know what tomorrow brings.

A young Gene Raymond.  He was older than this when he passed away.  I think he was about 16.
I got this from his sister Juli's facebook post. 

I am thankful to have been blessed with many, many more cousins than most people have.  When I was young I spent a lot of time at my Grandma Fuller's house with cousins.  That was a happy time!  My parents always spent the time and money to drive us across the country almost every year to see the Kentucky cousins too.  Mike is one of those.

Mike and his daughter Brittany
I got this picture from his facebook pics

Here are just a few of my cousins and why I am thankful for them:

I'm thankful for Mike because, of the KY cousins, he communicates with me the most and is a good example of someone who knows the importance of family.  I chatted with him for a short while on facebook last night.  That was nice.

My cousin Juli (the Juli from KY) has become my friend on facebook and is always very thoughtful and kind.  She shares my songs and makes me feel good about me.

Juli and her son
Taken from her facebook pics

My cousin Julie -- not from KY -- was my good friend for many years.  She made a big difference in my life.  We had such fun adventures together!  My face usually hurts from smiling if I get to spend time with Julie.

My cousins Deanne, Rose Ann, Melissa, Julie, and Cristy
This is from Julie's facebook pics.

When I was young, we stayed at Grandma's and we were, as we often did, sleeping on the lawn.  It rained in the night, and my cousin Doug carried me in.  I looked up to him, and thought of him as my tall cousin.  It was a bit of a shock to me when, after I hadn't seen him in years, I saw him and discovered that he is't really 6 feet tall like I imagined!  Still, he has been good to me.  He is a veteran who served in Afghanistan, and he took the time to write to me while he was there.  He has invited me to his kids' wedding receptions and sent me Christmas letters and I love him for it.

This is a kind of old picture of my cousin Dale's wedding.  Doug is at the top in the middle.  Not the one with glasses, that's Glade.  I got this from my cousin Tonya's facebook pics.  Facebook is a useful picture stealing resource.

I have lots of cousins I could mention but I think I will end with my cousins David and Danny.  I have sometimes wondered why, when I really haven't spent time with them for years, and when so many good and bad life events have come and gone without us being together, that I still love them so much.  I think it is because when I was a teenager, younger than them and not feeling very beautiful, or interesting, they were still my friends.  They did not ignore me, they danced with me, did things with me, and when I went to college they came to visit me, and took me for rides on their motorcycles.  When I didn't feel important on my own, I felt important to them.

David getting to be a Grandpa
I got this picture from his wife Rande's facebook pics.  I hadn't seen it before.
I love it!

Cousins have been, and are, a great blessing in my life.  I love having so many people who care about me just because I am related to them!  I love them for the good things they do, and for the good things they have done in the past.  I love them because they are mine.  I am thankful for cousins.