Here in the south, we love our cousins. My family is no exception. In fact, I have been surrounded by cousins for most of my life. They were my first playmates and best friends and I am still close to many of them. But there is a little oddity with these relatives. While I have no first cousins, it seems as if I have countless second and third cousins.
Scratching your head?

I have two uncles who didn’t have any children, but my great aunts and uncles are another story. My dad has eighty-four first cousins from both his mother and father’s sides. Of course, these relatives had their own children and grandchildren. To this day, I still haven’t met all of them. As a child, I remember being out with my parents many times and hearing, “There’s one of your cousins.”

It didn’t stop with my childhood. I am still discovering cousins, but nowadays it is the strangest ways. Back when Tim and I were dating, my mom and I went with him to one of his family reunions. While there, one of Tim’s cousins brought her new boyfriend with her. My mom got to talking to him and guess what? Yep, he was a cousin on my dad’s side. Tim’s cousin married my cousin, so our children are double cousins.

A couple of years ago, I was at my best friend’s Lynda’s house for a cookout. She is with me in the picture. By the way, she is a cousin on my mom’s side. I began talking to one of her husband’s friends and discovered he was a cousin on my dad’s side.

One of the best stories actually involved a cousin on my mom’s side. Back in the 80s, I worked with a lady who shared a hobby with me: photography. One year, I entered a few pictures into the TVA & I photo contest. My picture of my great grandfather, Papaw Janeway, won second place in the portrait division. My coworker went to the fair to see the picture and immediately recognized my Papaw. You see, he was also her grandmother’s brother. Yep, we were that closely related and had no idea.

“And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth…” Acts 17:26 (KJV)

Technically, we are all distantly related. We are not only from Adam and Eve, but we are also descendants of Noah and his family that were on the ark. Keep that in mind as you come across others who may seem different from you.

When Tim and I began dating, I immediately asked him about his family. I even double checked with my parents. While I loved being with my cousins, I didn’t want to kiss one.