A cousin left our family recently and though he died, the memories of him remain in our hearts. I am blessed to have so many cousins because both sides of the family had numerous children and from them came a lot of offspring.

Dr. Suess said it best, “Sometimes you never will know the value of a moment, until it becomes a memory.” I’ve found as I age, I’ve had parents, aunts, uncles and now cousins die. Oh, I always knew they were important to me and other family members but we think we will always have them around to talk to, to give us hugs, to share thoughts and just to be with. Then once they are no longer with us, we know how important they were to us and we miss them.

My cousins vary in ages from ones around my age to cousins that are much younger. I’m one who tries to stay in touch with them all, but as the families marry, have their own children, and most seem to move away. It makes it harder to stay in touch. No matter what, I know my cousins are there for me and me for them in hard and happy times.

The word cousin comes from the French word “cosin.” They are the next in line after siblings. Some may think of a cousin or two that are closer than a brother or sister.

During a person’s childhood, it seems cousins lived closer and were not far away. Visits were often made to the grandparents’ house and parents visited their brothers and sisters. The cousins were able to grow up together. Sleepovers were common. Birthday parties were celebrated together. There were fun games played together, comparing notes of how schools compared, how dating was going and hobbies were shared.

Some cousins are louder than others, some seem a little crazy at times, sharing is done, stories are told, tears may be shed, a lot of laughter may be done between each other, and there may even be some competition, but it is known there is a lot of love you can count on with cousins.

Having cousins is wonderful. Not having brothers, some of my male cousins have filled that void and are still doing so. I looked up to the older girl cousins and often sought their advice. Younger cousins sometimes seek out my advice.

After having most of our parents, aunts and uncles die, most of my cousins know now we need to step up and host family reunions and events to keep the family together. Phone calls are often made to check up on one another and those that would rather text or message on social media do so. Letters and cards used to be exchanged but now communication has turned to mostly shorter texts or messages. Photos of the cousins’ children are looked forward to receiving and being invited to a family wedding or graduation are accepted and attended.

If at all possible, keep in touch with family including the cousins. Cousins are like tree branches. We may grow in different directions but our roots remain as one.