Remembering...

Today, I remember.
Not with the usual Joy I have in my heart when I remember things from the past.
Today, it is with a little sadness.
My cousin would have turned 48 today.

I fondly remember spending time with my cousins when I was little:
Playing at Grandma/Grandpa Goebel's...Button, button who's got the button & I Spy in the cool, cinderblock basement.
Playing tag & hide-n-seek outside.
Climbing the tree on the side of the house.
Hunting for Easter Eggs (and watching from the window because I was sick :( ).
Swinging on the swing hanging from the huge tree in the backyard.
Taking walks to the bridge on the railroad tracks, being scared to death to walk over the bridge and
having some boys holler and throw rocks at us (that turned out to be my future husband, his brothers and neighborhood boys!).
Going over to Velma & Dolly's and playing with the marble game....that has finger marks in the wood from all of us playing with it!

Someone posted this on their facebook wall today...

"Cousins are usually the first friends we have as children.  No one will ever understand your crazy family like your cousins do even if you haven't talked to them much lately."

I'm not sure even my cousins understand me and my crazy family.

Shoot, I'm not sure I do!!  LOL

But I always loved spending time with all of them.

I looked up to and admired them.

Then, divorce happened in many of our families.

We didn't get together as often as we used to.

We grew up and went our separate ways, starting families of our own.

I miss it...getting together with each other.

Being a part of each other's lives.

It's one reason I love facebook.

I am able to stay in contact with several of my cousins and see what is going on in their lives...

which otherwise may not happen.

I was able to reconnect with my cousin, Kevin thanks to facebook.

I could tell often that something was bothering him and we would have some good conversations.

I tried to encourage him....I could tell that he was hurting.

I just never dreamed that his time here would be so short.

He was a wonderful man.

Funny, oh so funny!  Always had a witty comeback.

There doesn't seem to be a shortage of that in our family...but there was something about his one liners.

And his laugh...and the way his whole face lit up when he did.

He was ornery...you could see it in his face.

But he was also a very tender hearted kind of guy.

He was a cop...an undercover cop and I think it took it's toll on him.

I could've sat and listened to his friends tell stories about him all day long.

I miss him, we all miss him.

I pray that he is at peace.
That his family and friends have gotten a little closer to that sense of peace too.

We still miss you, Kevin...

We will see you again someday....

And we will all be in a better place!

And it will be a Family Reunion that will last for Eternity!