COUSINS

Day 18 of 25 DAYS OF HUGGING:

Ahhh Cousins! 

Christina was one of some 30 first cousins that all lived within 3 miles of each other. 

And to be clear, on both sides of the family, the girls all looked like they could have been sisters!  Rarely were we on a date when we didn’t bump into a group of them out for the night downtown; Christina would rattle off six names or so and I wouldn’t be able to remember one from the other for anything.   They were a tight-knit clan if ever there was one, and most of them were girls.  Only Hugo, Anthony, Johnny (who we will discuss later), Paul, Nick, Mikey and Justin amid those 30 girls.  No wonder those guys talk about how hard it was to breathe when they were little.

They were there for each other always, everyone had a role, and Christina was the one they could come to for hugs and a sympathetic ear to listen. 

Even after we were married, many an evening’s plans changed when one of her cousins called or stopped by our first house in the neighborhood to visit.  They all learned the same lessons of compassion, family, and support.  Christina spent the rest of her life living those virtues and instilling them in her family.  Christina’s cousins were her practice for being there to help out other people, for practicing her hugs, for making you feel safe always.

Please consider a donation to CCCF: www.celebratingchristina.org/donate

One day, one goal, one big hug.