Tuesday, February 3, 2009

We Are Family

If you are reading this, chances are good that you are in my family. And I mean that in the wonderful figurative way of "we are as close as family" but I also mean it in the literal sense because I have an enormous family. Really, really enormous. Ever expanding.

As I mentioned before, my Uncle Dennis passed away. The funeral was Tuesday. The turnout was enormous. He was -- and is -- quite loved, which is a wonderful and remarkable thing. But the crowds were a bit overwhelming; they always are to me. I stood off to the side at the funeral home, talking to my step dad. I confided to him that there were just so many people there that I didn't even know. He pointed to a woman in front of me and said "I know that's your mom's Aunt Edna."

To which I replied "There's an Aunt Edna?"

Having such a large and complex and twisty family is what I am used to, but it is still a little strange. For example, my mom's cousin is married to my dad's niece. I've got weird stuff like that all over in my family. Not really too weird to me since it is what I know and since my parents aren't married. Well, they are, but not to each other. So in addition to my own labyrinth of a crazy family, I get step aunts and uncles (though the step part never really mattered so much to me). To me, they are just my aunts and uncles and cousins.

It is a small world. My BFF went to high school (or was it junior high?) with my cousin. Of course I know he won't remember the conversation we had about that or even my cousin's name unless I mention it again, but I find it rather amusing and part of his charm that he has such a lousy memory for details but is otherwise semi-brilliant.

But I digress. (Should I change the name of this blog to "I digress"?)

True story: when I was in high school (9th grade), I was approached by a senior who started talking to me and then she said "I think we're cousins." Twas news to me, but yep, we were. (Insert your own small town/inbreeding joke here.) But the problem isn't inbreeding. Inbreeding results in small families.

I sat next to my cousin Jenny and talked to her about the impossibility of raising a four-year-old (yay, Jude is not the only child who was ever difficult!). The conversation wrapped around to the lovely turnout of the funeral. Then we discussed our great aunts, Esther and Vi.

And, I pointed out, we also have a great aunt Edna.

To which she replied "There's an Aunt Edna?"

Movie Review: I have nothing. For the first time in a long time, I haven't had a chance to watch any movies. So, I am on the hunt for anything good.

Song of the Day: I'm taken with "Still Fighting It" by Ben Folds.