Have you ever thought about what a precious gift from God it is to have cousins? They’re often our first childhood playmates –someone to hang out with at family get-togethers. Friends for life.
I’ve been blessed with some amazing cousins. I love all our shared memories. One of us can just say, “canoeing at Stone Mountain” and a burst of laughter fills the room. Those words wouldn’t mean anything to anyone else, but to us, it’s an instant reminder of the day my cousin Bruce turned our canoe over in the middle of the lake.
My cousin Eddie was closest to my age, and we had a blast growing up together. Sweet memories of wading through the creek catching salamanders, cooking dinner for our dads when my Aunt Bernadette was out of town (they were great sports to eat our culinary inventions) and getting picked up by the police. Yes, you read that right.
Before you gasp in shock at my checkered past, I’d better explain that our dads worked on the military base. They sometimes took us to work with them, and on this particular day, they’d dropped us off at the lake on the base.
We were having a blast, our fishing poles stuck in the water, a radio playing in the background, sack lunches for when we got hungry. A perfect day for two kids . . . until the military police found us and returned us to our dads. Seems we weren’t supposed to be there without adult supervision. It’s been many years since that happened, but we still laugh about our life of crime.
Those childhood bonding moments with my cousins have lasted into adulthood. They’re the people who truly know me—and love me in spite of it.
So you can understand why I got a bit misty-eyed recently when I watched my grandbabies holding hands during a family vacation at Disney World. I’m so glad they’re building the same bonds.
My grandson, Jack, 5, lives in Florida so he doesn’t get to spend much time with his North Carolina cousins. But, oh, how that sweet boy loves them! While walking through Disney World, he’d held his cousin Anna’s hand most of the day. His mama said, “Maybe Anna needs a little break.”
He looked up at her with tears swimming in those beautiful blue eyes and said, “But I don’t get to see her very often.” Yeah, I had to wipe my own tears away at that point.
I love how they love each other and having experienced that amazing bond, I’m so grateful for God’s gift of cousins.
Have you told your cousins that they’re special to you? Today would be a great time to do that.
