A tiny tree in the forest

barrelmakersdaughter.com ♦ July 12, 2012 ♦ 1 Comment

Big family trees with numerous branches have always fascinated me. Large families in general do, as well.  I can’t get enough of the stories my friends share of reunions, get-togethers and holiday celebrations. I also love hearing of how they gather to support one another in times of great joy and times of great sorrow.  Their tales only reinforce my idea of how wonderful that must be and I live vicariously through those accounts of extended family members coming together.

Both of my parents are only children. I have no aunts, no uncles and no first cousins.  My only sibling has never married, nor has she had children, so I also have no nieces or nephews.  I’m a tiny tree.

When I was growing up my mom and dad had aunts, uncles, and cousins, so I did get a small taste of extended family through limited interactions with their relatives.  My mom in particular had a large number of those folks who lived nearby. I grew up with some honorary cousins—the children of my mom’s closest cousins.  We skipped the labels of how-many-times-removed, etc. to keep things simple. All I cared about was having someone to call cousin.  Everybody else had them and had such fun with them!  Through Facebook, I’m still in contact with my “cousin,” Chris, who still makes me smile and laugh, just like she did when we were growing up. The fact that it is through Facebook adds another benefit; I get to name her as “Family” in my Facebook lists.  See?  I’m just like everybody else–I have a cousin!

I do realize there were some advantages to growing up with such a small family circle.  My sister, Sue, and I never had to share our grandparents on either side with anyone else.  We had their undivided attention at holidays and other visits.  With nobody else to compare us to, how could they help but find us spectacular?  Being the only two definitely had its perks!  Sue and I alone were able to call them Grandma and Grandpa, and we weren’t complaining about that.

The older I have gotten, the more I love to hear my friends’ stories of family. Sometimes they seem hesitant, concerned that I will find the subject matter boring. Nothing could be further from the truth!  If you’ve got one tale (or ten!), allow me to make myself a cup of tea and pull up a chair.  I’m all ears.