Cousins

By definition, “cousins” are people who share a common set of grandparents. But the cousins in my life have shared much more than that.

I grew up across the street from four of my cousins – Joy, Raina, Kathie, and Kip, offspring of my dad’s sister, Loraine. Joy was older than us all – a high school student, and not so directly involved with us then. Raina was just older than me, and Kathie, just younger. My sister was just younger than Kathie, and Kip, just younger than her. The five of us were for about ten years a troop of friends who enjoyed just about everything together, until they moved across town. Even then, Raina and I talked on the phone often and we would spend a week at each others houses in the summer. We shared books and adventures and long conversations. After forty-five years, we can easily pick up where we left off.

Mike, David, and Gary lived in Angleton. They were sons of my dad’s younger brother, Richard. Mike and David were just older than me and Gary just younger. Their house was on the way to the beach at Freeport, and when we visited them it usually mean a day at Surfside.

The other cousins on the Creech side were not so accessible, but sharing common grandparents meant that usually on Easter, Father’s Day, Grandad’s birthday, and at Christmas we would all be together. In addition, we regularly shared a week (sometimes two) staying with my grandparents on the farm while our parents enjoyed some time to themselves.

That meant that in addition to the nine cousins above, Donna and Leslie and Royce and Dean would join the mix. They were all part of the group around my age. We had some older cousins, too. Richard Earl, who was much older, and off doing exotic things with the U.S. embassies in Addis Ababa, Johannesburg, and Paris. Occasionally he and his family would join us. Kay Loraine and Johnnie Ruth were the older sisters of Donna and Leslie. Like Joy, they were more people we looked up to, but did not grow up with. Altogether, there were sixteen of us on the Creech side of things.

My cousins on my mother’s side were fewer and all of them older than I. Sylvia, Mary Katherine, Bill, and Connie Rae. Connie Rae was like an older sister to me. Ten years or so my senior, she was at our house often and helped get me started in life, I think. Mary Katherine and Bill both died a couple of years ago. I speak with Connie Rae and Sylvia by phone every so often. And Connie is one of my Facebook friends.

Today I attended Kay Loraine’s funeral. She fought with brain cancer for the past four years. She was the epitome of kindness and grace and her family loved her so much. Kay was 67. In 1981 we buried Kip, who was only 25. Fourteen of us Creech cousins survive. And ten of us were there to say goodbye to Kay. One came from Colorado. One brought his wife from Kansas. Five drove three hours across Texas. It is clear that we share more than grandparents.

Last Sunday Melinda and I hosted our sons, their wives, and the three Creech cousins of their generation. Although Austin is still too small to get engaged in the play, Ava and Madison seem to me to share more than a couple of grandparents. I hope that remains their experience as long as they live.