I am back in Arizona this week, and I have connected again with my cousins–the ones I hardly knew when I was young. It is amazing how much we love and care for each other–how we have a shared history–and how we now can share our lives together. This blog was written last year after I met up with these “unknown” cousins and got to know them better. It is never too late to get to know your family. Read on . . . .
My extended family is complicated. My father had seven siblings. He was the oldest. All those siblings (including my dad) went on to have a total of 36 children. I have 33 first cousins in my dad’s family. My mom had three siblings—she was child #2. She along with her siblings, had a total of 17 children. I have a total of 14 cousins in my mom’s family. First complication: I do not have a total of 47 first cousins. I have only (haha! I said ONLY) 40 first cousins. That is because 7 of these cousins are my double cousins, so I can only count them once. What are double cousins, you say? My mom and her sister married brothers—their children are what are called double cousins because we are doubly related!
I think it is special to have so many cousins. I have many fond memories of visiting…
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Andrea Unsinkable 
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