Something That's Been on My Heart

1 Corinthians 13:4-13: 'Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. . .And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.'

Cousins. Cousins are special people. On my daddy's side of the family, there are 16 of us cousins. Most of us are about the same age so I have wonderful memories of us playing together, going to the lake, watching Bama ballgames, spending the night with each other, and crying together. I even went to school with my cousin Tammy on her last day of school just for the fun of it. We had some wonderful times together and I will always cherish those moments. As we grew up, we all had different lives and started going our separate ways. We still see each other on holidays, but sometimes it feels we don't really know each other. We talk and all of those wonderful childhood memories start coming back to me. Sometimes I cry because I wish things could be as good as they were back then. I guess that's what happens when we all grow up and some of us move away. I will still cherish every memory that we created together. I love my cousins, you will always have a special place in my heart!

On my mother's side, there was only me and Jeremy. We were only a few months apart, but unfortunately, he and his mother moved away when Jeremy was very young. We did not have a chance to get to know each other the way I knew my other cousins. I always knew about him and would see pictures of him from Uncle Kenny, but I still did not know him. I remember one day in the summer, I think I was 15 or so, my Mama told me that we were going to get to meet Jeremy for the very first time. I was so excited! I finally got to meet the guy that I have heard about all of my life, my only cousin on my mother's side. He came to my mother's house with his beautiful mom and sister. We visited a while and took lots and lots of pictures. It was so nice to finally get to meet him. Well, it came time for them to go back home, to Titusville, Florida so we had to say our goodbyes. I think he kept in touch with Mama and Kenny some, but he went into the Marines and we didn't really have a chance to talk to him much. It wasn't until Uncle Kenny passed away, 2007, that we really started getting to know Jeremy better. He came up for the funeral for a few days and stayed with Mama and Wesley. We of course, spent the night, too. At that time, that is when the bonding started. We got to know each other a lot more, it's like we had a lifetime of catching up to do and I think for the most part, we did it. We shared our life stories with each other and before he went back home, I felt like I really knew him. During Spring Break of 2008, Bill, Madilyn Grace, Nana, Papa, and I traveled to Titusville, Florida to visit with Jeremy and his family. We had a wonderful time visiting and making some of our very own memories that we can cherish for a lifetime. Since then, he's come to our house at Christmas time to visit, we met at Destin for a few days and visited, and he's coming to our house on Thanksgiving Day to visit. Even though we don't have childhood memories, what memories we do have are very special and I will never forget them. I am looking forward to making many more memories as we continue to make up for lost time.

I have a poem that I found that I wanted to share with all of my cousins:
We’re from the same shoot,
The same family tree,
Into this world we sprouted
Call it destiny!
It’s cousin to cousin
A special thing
A closeness to which we’re tied,
And you’ve always been there
To laugh with me
Or even when I’ve cried.
Anyway I think it’s fantastic
That you were meant to be
A part of my life, my cousin,
You’ll always be special to me!

You all have a special place in my heart. I will always love you!

Still Growing in Christ,
Tanya