Cousins

Our fathers are brothers. Their sister is our aunt (except to Lynn, Lon and Beth - to them  she's  mother). Their parents are our grand-parents, making us related from the day of our birth,  giving us ancestors in common,  and familial traits recognized in one another.

Since Lynn, Shauna and I are the oldest of the Cooney cousins we probably  recall, and remember best  those first, early happy days at Grandma and Grandpa's house in  Council Bluffs, Iowa playing hide n' seek in the upstairs bedrooms, helping grandma bake cookies and picking raspberries with grandpa in the backyard.

But one thing  all of us can  easily  remember are the  wonderful letters grandma  so lovingly wrote  throughout the years, keeping us apprised of each others endeavors,  and encouraging us to stay close in heart - even as we grew older and lived miles apart. That we would continue to keep in touch, and affirm one another  was important to our grandmother - in her last Will and Testament Grandma stated she wanted all of  her 14 grandchildren to be at her funeral service,  and provided airfare for each of us to be there.

That was 25 years ago. Since then our children have grown, and some of them now have children. In April I attended  the wedding of cousin Nicole's daughter, Megan to her Prince Charming  in Mesa, Arizona , and  the Sunday before last had a  prime seat at  the Coeur d Alene Summer Theater to see cousin Kevin's daughter, Mallory star as  Dorothy in the musical production, Wizard of Oz . On both occasions I thought of Grandma, and how pleased she would be.

In May, 2010   my brother, Walt passed away.  The first of Grandma and Grandpa's grandchildren to do so.  Those who read my blog know I  write  about Walt often , and continue to miss him very much.  When his death was new, and my grief  raw, my cousins rallied around me with their unsolicited support, giving me strength.

 Nicole (and my Aunt Cheri) flew all night long,  from Montserrat to St. Louis, changing planes three times to   attend Walt's Memorial Service. Their presence meant more to me than words could ever tell.   And our cousin, Kim did the same from Seattle. Kim was the soloist, so sweetly singing at his cousins service.  Lynn, Lon, Elizabeth called offering solace, and words of love about Walt. Hearing their voices, and  stories they shared about Walt  lifted my spirit, and helped me heal.     Kevin brought a 5ft  fir tree  to my home, to    plant on our property in memory of his cousin, and   Shauna made a special trip to visit with me,  to give comfort and support, and share her  remembrances of my brother.

A year has passed, and again Shauna and her husband, Al were here. We spent a lovely Saturday  afternoon having lunch, and  chatting about all sorts of things (musing on the past,  present hopes, and future dreams).  When it came time to say good-bye and we hugged our farewells,  I couldn't help but think   we may be scattered all over,  and busy with our lives, but  there is a bond we Cooney cousins  share , one that  brings us together in time of need - sometimes sorrow, sometimes joy -   a bond rooted deep  in our grandmother's enduring love.