Cousins

So, 4/5ths of my family of origin are on Facebook now, including my Dad. If any of you aren't on Facebook yet, you should try it out. I was resistant to it at first, but Gen soon turned me over to the dark side and now I spend probably half an hour on Facebook every day. Dang, is it ever a blackhole, except that it is so neat reconnecting with people you haven't seen for years. I've been on since November, but all of a sudden, folks from my graduating class have started trickling in.

I think the person I was most tickled to "friend" on Facebook was my cousin Bobbi Jo. At least, I think we're cousins...her grandma is MY grandma's twin sister. Does that make sense? I can't ever figure it out past first cousins. Donna probably knows. Anyway, Bobbi and I had lots of adventures back in the day, out on our grandparents' farms in heavenly southern Minnesota. Those were the days. I went to her wedding I think and saw her a couple of times in Mankato, but hadn't seen her for years. Way too long. Anyway, Facebook got us all caught up.

It got me thinking about my cousins. I have just a few. Actually, I have two on each side of my family. Isn't that kind of sad? I always wanted to be from that family that had tons of cousins, but my mother has one sister who had two and two of my dad's three siblings didn't have kids. Still...I think we were all close growing up, despite age differences. I know that I loved spending time with them and have a lot of great memories of holidays and visits, vacation to the Black Hills, etc.

Anyway, these are people who share my blood and it saddens me to think that we don't keep in touch like we should and that, with so few of us, we can't just be a family. Why is it that the people we should be closest to are usually the people that we have the most problems with? Is it the shared family history? I seriously want to know...

Have a good day, cousins, wherever you are. Keep in touch.

Comments

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/tech/2009/02/17/am.seg.facebook.cnn?iref=videosearch

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DD4 said…
I spend entirely too much time when I go onto Facebook (partly because I have "dial-up"). So far no one that I know of has found me from searching. But, it would be fun if someone did.
Anonymous said…
You're right, Rach. I actually have quite a few cousins (dad does too) but unfortunately we don't keep in contact either. Remember the reunion a couple years ago? Anyway, sometimes I think family just takes it for granted that family will always be there. Unfortunately, life proves differently, and then it's too late. I'm really glad you and Bobbi Jo got in touch. You have even more in common now that you're both wives and mothers...
carrster said…
You can borrow some of my cousins!

We even have our own family message board which gets a lot of daily traffic. It's crazy!
MamaD4 said…
Carrie: Thanks for the offer, are there any you'd like to get rid of? :)

Donna: Part of the problem may stem from the fact that your Facebook name is Donna DeFpr...unless there's some strange reason you leave the "p" in there, how does anyone find you? There's an option to enter your maiden name too, I don't know if you've done that, just in case your high school friends are looking for Donna K.
DD4 said…
Sarah and I have tried to correct the spelling of my name, and Facebook won't allow it. Weird. For some reason they must like the way it is now. That's okay. For what I use the site, I've connected with my dear family members and friends.

I'm glad you and your cousin re-connected. That's fun!
Anonymous said…
I have to admit, I have not figured out what facebook is for or what to do with it other than keep verifying "friends" in e-mail. It looks like another good reason to spend even more time gazing at the monitor. I am retired but I can think of better uses for my time.
Anonymous said…
Me again, I see facebook as a way of having a large group of "friends" that you never actually have to make face to face contact with. Come to think of it, I talk better with a keyboard than with the other unit I speak with. It gives me more time to think about what I am saying. Hmm
Anonymous said…
Hi Rachel.....It's you're cousin Kris.I have been meaning to write back to you , with some photos of the new baby. It's been kinda crazy around here since I've went back to work. Time really flies by.Noah is really good with the baby.The last 9 months were well worth it. I don't know if you knew but i had gest. diabetes and gave myself insulin shots 4 times a day in my stomach ,of all places ,and had a strict diet. i only gained 6 lbs. exactly what joshua weighed.
Anyways I want you to know that i enjoy reading you're blog and will try to keep in touch . Keep on typing .
Pat said…
Thanks to Donna I have been on Facebook. I have to say I like it. The people that I have come in touch with is incredible. I find it a lot of fun. My son in law makes fun of it.
Cousins--I have a whole bunch (like over 50) on Dad's side. Mom's side I have 7. Guess which side was Catholic? I love my cousins. There are some I probably would not ever come in contact with if we were not related but I enjoy their uniqueness. I find it amazing how one can see the same values come across in the relatives and also physical traits.

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