A Cousin Visit

Yesterday was a special kind of day. My cousin Ondra came to meet me in person for the very first time. It's only been a few months since we found each other through an online memorial site to her great grandmother, and since we both love family history, we've found meeting to be a fun adventure.

Family ties, especially distant ones, can be a little confusing and I often look for ways to simplify what otherwise appears difficult to understand. Ondra and I are third cousins and share a set of great, great grandparents. We are the grandchildren of first cousins, and when I look at that in the light of my own grandchildren and my cousin's grandchildren, the connection suddenly becomes pretty simple.

Since I'd had a busy Saturday, I didn't go crazy cleaning or baking special treats ahead of time. Instead Ondra and I shared conversation and iced tea on the back porch, and put together BLT's for lunch. She arrived with gifts (which I was not expecting); a small pot of Forget-Me-Nots, a candle in a jar, and a beautiful doily she made herself. I am blessed. I was able to send her home with the old photograph of her great grandma Hattie in France.

James was kind enough to take some time away from mowing the lawn to take our picture; first with our great, great grandfather, Garrett Shafer, and then just the two of us. It was a very nice visit and I hope there will be more to come. Maybe I can even drive out to Buffalo and meet Lisa, another third cousin who loves family history. Now wouldn't that be fun?