When the phone rang this morning, I answered, even though I didn’t recognize the number and only vaguely recalled the last name.
It was my cousin! (with her fairly new married name) That may mean little to you, but I come from a big extended family. My mom is the 3rd of 10 kids, and there are 34 of us grandkids on that side, spread out by 30 years and 5 or so states. With our spouses and our children (7 new babies born last year alone!) the family numbers are rapidly approaching 100.
I love my big family!
The thing, though, with a big family is that unless you live close (which I do to many — thank goodness!) there’s not a lot of daily chatter, casual chit chat, or calling to ask a random question. Our meetings are generally saved for weddings, funerals, Christmas, and sometimes Labor Day. For a family our size, I’d say that’s pretty good. But still… it’s easy to feel out of touch.
Getting an out of the blue phone call from a cousin I generally speak to once or twice a year? Catching up on her new baby and the Christmas cards I still haven’t sent and our pets and starting a garden and all sorts of random casual talk? That was a Finer Thing!
And it made me think that I need to do a better job of keeping in touch with my family!
What finer things are you celebrating this week? Link up and let us know! Please link to your post and not your homepage. Also, leave a link back here so I don’t have to be a big meanie and delete you.
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You are very lucky to have such a big family! What a blessing!
Thanks for hosting!
~Liz
What a blessing to have such a large family! Can I admit that I’m just a little jealous? And how neat have a chance to catch up.
I’m just glad to know I’m not the only one who ordered Christmas cards and didn’t send them!
Two years in a row, girl! I’m pathetic.
Oh my goodness, I set up the tripod and took a family pic around the classic 1959 Chevy truck (Black & White of course; due to the paint and primer finish) well all I can say is that we turned out looking like the Beverly Hill Billies minus Grandma in the rocker in the truck bed. So no Christmas cards here this year either. But you made me think and I should really call a few of those hill billy cousins I have!
Ha! I can only imagine.
My cards are still sitting in a bag… hate to throw them out!
I have a big family too! Six brothers and a sister, six kids of my own! Thank you for hosting!
That’s so cool!!
That sounds like a great moment. It’s always nice to get unexpected phone calls, and to know that someone you don’t see often, is thinking about you
This week is the 10th anniversary of my grandmother’s passing, and I’ve wished I were just down the road from my cousins so we could gather and reminisce… They’re flung to the corners of the earth now! (Well, not for long, the one that was in China should be back home this weekend.) Blessings, blessings, blessings!
I dread the day we lose one or both of my grandparents. Really hope the family makes an effort to still get together!
That’s so funny, I talked to my cousin tonight for the first time since 1991! We emailed in ’07 while I was on hospital bedrest with my first pregnancy, but otherwise it had been updates through our parents only!
Whoa! 1991 — that must have been quite a talk.
I rarely talk to my cousins, either! My mom is #5 of 10, and I miss those big holiday gatherings with built-in playmates.
We would always cry rivers when leaving grandma and grandpa’s house!
Aw, I’m a tad envious of your big family too- especially living close to many of them. That’s so special! I am one of only ten cousins, but, of the ten, four of us were born within a month of each other (I’m the youngest of the four
). It’s always been really neat when we get together to have cousins so close to me in age! Thanks for reminding me that that is indeed a finer thing.
Four in a month? Very cool!
Ah, the blessing of family. I have always dreamed of having a large family. Yes, I loved watching ‘The Waltons’ when I was a kid.
)
My mom’s family definitely feels like the Waltons!
I am the youngest of 6 kids with 14 nieces and nephews. I love having a big Family. They are such a blessing!
We have many, many cousins we rarely speak to…many just at weddings and funerals!! So sad, I know. We’re just spread so far out spanning over the country, it’s difficult. I miss that closeness. Like you, a few weeks ago my husband got a phone call from one of his cousins he hasn’t seen since his Aunt passed away…he called to tell him he found some antique spoons that belonged to his Nana, and would like to get together so he can deliver them. That was special…and getting together with them will be special too. We look forward to it!
You are so lucky! I only have 4 first cousins (none near me in age) and I think 3 second cousins. Funny, my grandparents were both from large families, but most didn’t have children of their own. I always wished for cousins to play with. I am making sure it happens with my kids and their cousins.
Really?! That is pretty small.
I do feel very blessed with my large family.
How exciting!
I know with Facebook I’ve been able to reconnect with a lot of my cousins, aunts and uncles, so that has been a blessing. 
So neat! I agree with Sherry…Facebook is really the only way to stay in touch with extended family and old friends these days! Really enjoy your blog!