It's all relative

We had a family reunion this weekend. It's been a long time since I saw many of these relatives so it was with mixed feelings I went to this event. My sisters couldn't make it so I was left on my own with a multitude of cousins, aunts and uncles along the space time continuum. We come from a very large family so we have more than our share of "individuals" to choose from. And this time, they came from near and far. All the surviving aunts and uncles were there with their various significant others, their broods of children and even their grandchildren. Grandma and Grandpa didn't live to see some of these kids, but that's probably for the best.

I won't name names because that would be well, rude, but I will say I had a great time with some of the cousins who are my age. We were able to catch up after years of living thousands of miles apart only to discover we have a lot more in common that you might imagine. We discussed how scary it is to come to these family gatherings and discover where some of our mannerisms and idiosyncrasies come from - and what they might lead to.... We marvelled at some of our younger cousins who were busy showing their children how to multi-task (climb trees and smoke at the same time) and introducing those same children to alcohol in the form of jello shots and beer.

Yes, I come from a long line of questionable characters, most with more intelligence than they ever put to good use and several lacking any kind of common sense. Most are funny, kind, quiet spoken, and more than a little bit sarcastic if you get them started. Some of them even try to eat sensibly while holding a beer in one hand and a cigarette in the other... irony at it's finest. But very few of them do much more than walk as exercise... unless you count pool and bowling. I think they must think my sister and I completely crazy. We don't talk about our athletic dreams much in that crowd. It just boggles and confuses. Leaves many people asking why?

But they are family and for all their human faults and missteps, they love us and we love them in our own way. So here's to the family. You may not always want to take them out in public, but they're always there if you need a good chuckle or a hug.