A Whole New Family

A few days ago I learned that I have a whole family that I've never met. What a wonderful surprise! As an only child raising an only child, our family is small and I've often missed having the boisterous holiday gatherings that larger families have. Growing up, we had large gatherings of relatives from my Mother's side of the family (which is rooted in TX)  that were always organized by my Grandmother. Granny passed away in the '90's and that bunch hasn't gotten together since. Another branch of my Mother's family used to have a family reunion every year, but that too has fallen by the wayside. We do still see several of them throughout the year and that is nice. We are making more efforts recently to stay in touch.

My Father's side of the family had all been in New York and we used to visit when I was younger. When my Father's twin sister and two brothers passed away, he lost touch with their families. Recently he heard from his niece, my cousin, in California. It turns out that she has three sons around my age with scads of grandchildren around Claire's age! Poof, instant family! Thanks to Facebook, we have been able to instantly connect, see pictures of each other's children and learn all about our lives.


My Father and his young niece in the 40's.

 I've never doubted that I'd stay connected to my Mother's family, but my Father's family was a mystery. It is such a great feeling to know that my Father still has a large family after all and they will be around to be Claire's family too as she grows up; what a blessing.

So to all my family: I am grateful to have you in my life and I vow to stay in touch in the years to come. I hope you will all do the same and that our children will grow up knowing a larger extended family than we did!