Family matters

(Awesome news alert!!, well for me anyway)

Thirty years is a long time. I was 5 or 6 and can barely remember what happened.  there are snippets, and of course the photos to jog the memory.  But that is it.

Hubby’s family is huge!  His father is one of 11 or 12 and with each of those having say 3 kids then say 2+ kids in the next generation makes for one very large family.  I have met most of them on our various travel throughout Queensland and the like, others I’m friends with on Facebook, and of course there are more I have not met. So in short , hubby has a squillion first cousins.

Me, however.  I come from two small families, each with only 3 kids where only two of those had kids (my parents included).  I have 6 first cousins.  I have never met 2 of them.
The other four – I finally met, for the first time in 30+ years this weekend just gone.  It would have been made better if my parents could have been there or any of my siblings, but sometimes it doesn’t work out that way.  It was made that little bit easier for my by having my aunt and uncle on hand as we shared the catering for lunch.  Made for quite a few less nerves running through me.

Meeting people for he first time is always a little nerve-wracking, will you like them, will we get on (at least enough to not be arguing all the time) will they want to catch up again? But meeting four of them + partners was akin to an invasion – actually that was how it was put in the emails that were flying about. Family invasion!

Having only half the ‘things’ to worry about made me all the more relaxed – if you could call it that – and squeezing them all into my house was something else again. And I needn’t have worried.
They are totally cool, really great people and it was one big happy family. Seriously, no egos in the room, everyone casual and laughing, really relaxed. I felt completely at home.

Now I’ve never been one to think I have missed out on things, or to have felt that not having them around that something was missing from my life, but I am so glad they are in it now.  My kids know most of their immediate cousins, and my cousins’ kids all know and get on with their cousins.  The way is should be.  In a perfect world maybe.  Your cousins can be the first friends you have, and are often long-lasting friendships.  A little bit of ‘same same, but different’.

From here, they only live an hour’s air flight away so the possibilities of getting to see them (now we’re in touch again) is much more likely.

Why have we not got in touch before. Who knows, It’s no ones fault and it has been pretty easy if any of us have wanted to make the move to contact.  I have thought about them over the years, but as things go, never did anything about it. I’m just happy to have them in my life and maybe for my kids to meet theirs someday.  At least the age groups are about the same. My two eldest have long been a bit ‘left out’ as they are often a lot older than the other kids.

I would love to post a pic of the five of us, but am still waiting for approval.  So I’ll say now, I look a little like the only male cousin, who is also the ‘baby’ of the family, am only slightly taller than the eldest (we share the same middle name and similar height deficiencies).

Here is the picture of my self and the four cousins (permission granted) + one with their partners.

Kim, troy, me, Jo and Nikki

 

clockwise from back left: Gary, Nikki, Troy, Kelly, Kim, Nino, Jo and Allen

We have all agreed it will not be long again, and I look forward to many more get togethers now the ‘reunion’ has happened.

Who else has met family members after a long time?
Did you remember them?
Did it work out well for you aswell?

Keep smiling 😀
Jennifer