It's My Cousin

I am sure you have heard the jokes about people in the southern states of the United States are all related. It is a biased view and totally reprehensible.

It is also true however that if you trace far enough back you are probably related to most people. In less populated areas, more rural areas the relationships may be more prevalent. Also in cases of royalty throughout the world intermarriages were used to keep pure lines and to cement alliances. So the jokes do have a foundation.

When my sister moved to another state to be with the father of her sons they lived on a hill that was named after his family. They had owned it at one time way back in time. Everyone who lived on the hill was closely related. The boys came to know that side of their family quickly and they enjoyed it.

I told you previously how their father had not always been present in their lives. My father, their grandfather, was the first male role model for the oldest one. He died before the second was born. My husband sort of stepped in and we had the boys at our house often.

Then my husband was out of the picture. My oldest son stepped up. He enjoyed spending time with the boys and they looked up to him. He has been a huge influence in their lives.

So when the boys moved they were still in close contact with us. They spoke to us often on the phone.

One day while my son was talking to the younger of the boys my nephew was telling my son about school. He told of a boy he met on the playground who turned out to be his cousin.

My son congratulated him on making a new friend. And how amazing was it that it was his cousin.

My nephew then said, "Yeah. Every time I meet somebody new, it's my cousin!"

It was a joke in the family for a long time. Even when the older nephew married it was to the cousin of the mother of his first son. It is truly a small worls.

As they got older the boys came to know their sisters. As I told you their father had married and had several daughters. The younger nephew is closer and stays in contact more often with the girls.

One day one of his sisters called. She met a new girl at school on the playground. They were teenagers so they were just hanging around. They instantly liked each other.

As the girls came to know each other better they were surprised at the similarities in their lives. They even looked a bit alike.

When the new girl mentioned her last name the sister's ears perked up. That was her last name too. She cautiously asked what the girl's father's name was. It was the same as her father. As a matter of fact it was her father.

So the sister and my nephew hatched a plan. They ambushed their father.

A conference telephone call with the father only knowing that he was talking to the sister was arranged. She informed him that she had met another of his children. After a bit of hemming and hawing he owned up to being the other girl's father.

My nephew could take no more."HOW MANY KIDS DO YOU HAVE ANYWAY?"

Who knows how many siblings there are? I do not think the father even knows. It is a funny joke that is so sad. But we have a lot of humorous discussions about "Every time I meet somebody it's my cousin."