Breakfast

Today after dropping the kids off at school, I cruised...well not exactly, but it sounds far more romantic than "I sat in stop and go traffic"...south to meet my cousins for breakfast.

Leanne, Shari, and I haven't dined together since we were teenagers, and, well, let's just say it has been a few years.

College. Careers. Marriage. Children. Life.

So much has happened in that time, but yet, when I see those familiar faces...and again in their children...it feels like yesterday. My cousins knew me as a kid, and in that knowledge is a familiarity that never leaves, as is evident in conversations that roll easily and laughter that flows often.

Interestingly, California has brought us all together again, as Leanne's husband embarks on a career change in Silicon Valley.



Life, particularly mine has been filled with change in recent years, and sometimes adjusting to a new community is wrought with moments of loneliness as friends and family are so far away. Those golden relationships are so easy because without saying they know the path you have trod and some things go without saying. Perhaps it is a bit like a favorite pair of shoes that you know will not fail you when the going gets tough.

This morning, I needed to be wrapped in the familiar...to feel the unconditional love of my extended family, to hear the familiar banter of voices, to relax amidst the laughter...and embrace the new...to see the sparkling eyes of the next generation, to embrace our California adventures, and though reluctantly at times, to share the wisdom of age.

Though as someone astutely pointed out this morning, when one is young, it is coolest to be the oldest and when...well, let's just say, now it is coolest to be the youngest. Though in all actuality the difference is minimal, but for now, I will now admit to being the youngest...and yes, I still think you are the coolest!