To my cousins,
You were my first friends, even before my siblings were born. We celebrated many milestones together and were as close as close could be. We have pictures of us bathing in the same tub, playing in kiddie pools in our backyards, wearing our fancy clothes at Christmas dinner, and have home videos of us acting goofy together.
I always looked forward to seeing you guys for any occasion, whether it be a holiday, a birthday party, family camping trips, or even a sleepover at our grandparents house. We had so much fun together and you taught me how to socialize and use my imagination.
The games we played are still ingrained in my memory like it was yesterday; jumping from couch to couch because the floor was lava, pretending bunk bed’s were a captain’s ship, going to all efforts to keep the balloon in the air, and hide and seek. We always avoided being seen by grown ups so they wouldn’t make us leave.
As we got older our interests and hobbies shifted, as did our friendship. High school was tough for us all, and college was even worse. And now we’re at the exciting stage in our lives where we’re all moving, entering new relationships, and living our own lives. I’m so proud to see how you’ve grown up and all you’ve accomplished. The geographical distance may make it tough to see each other, but it makes me want to put in that much more effort to keep our bond strong.
I promise to still make the effort to stay in touch, and to travel the distance whenever I can. I will continue to stay as involved in your lives and embarrass you in front of your dates as much as possible. You can bet your bottom dollar that I’ll be at your wedding, and you’ll be invited to mine, and that my kids will be as close to yours as we were when we were kids.
We’ve loved and lost together, and no matter what road life takes us on, we’ll end up together at some point. Only we know how crazy our family truly is. And as much as we don’t like to admit it, we’re turning into our parents.
Thank you for being the best friends I could ever ask for, and for sharing years of wonderful memories with me. Words cannot express how much I value you; we balance each other well. And although our spot at the kid’s table may have moved over the years, we often reminisce of those hilarious moments from when we were young no matter where we sit.
And to my younger cousins who are still developing into amazing people; you are the lights of my life. You all hold so much potential and I promise to be one of your biggest supporters through your toughest times.
I sound like the crazy old lady who tries to be cool, but I promise my advice will come in handy one day.
Your little spurts of laughter, funny nicknames, innocence, and kind hearts help remind me what it’s like to be young again, and I strive to be a good role model for you. I promise to give you funny memories to look back on just like my older cousins did with me.
They say, “you can pick your friends, but you can’t pick your family.” I feel fortunate. I love you guys!
Featured image via Andy Kuzma on Pexels
