Each of us go through this life being marked and influenced by those around us. Stands to reason that time, proximity, and level of intimacy have great bearing upon how deep a mark can be. Then there are the relationships that defy logic. Those tend to be my favorite. My relationship with Cousin Cheryl Anne was like that. I'd like to tell you about her.
She's one of FIL's MANY cousins. His daddy (George) was her mama's (Laura...although I've always heard her called Laurie)baby brother. From what I can gather, he...George...was the family favorite...little brother, favorite uncle to the nieces and nephews that were just slightly older than him and favorite uncle to the nieces and nephews that weren't much younger. Need help working all that out? When you are the last of eight or nine children, the first grandchildren can make their appearance before you are even born and then there are the grandchildren that come along shortly after you're born. Family trees...oh, how they twist and wind! Boiled down, Cheryl Anne and FIL were first cousins and from the first time I ever met her, she was always "Cousin Cheryl Ann." Mr. Snark and I hadn't tied the knot...but she made no bones about it: we were family.
The funniest thing about Cousin Cheryl Anne is that I didn't REALLY know a lot about her. We didn't live in close proximity and for a few years, the only time I saw her was at the family reunions. We exchanged Christmas cards. Into these modern years, I seem to recall emails that were exchanged and then we found each other on F*cebook. When I was blogging about FIL's illness, she was faithful to read those posts and she read my first blog (Punkin's Vine) and then became a faithful follower of the YBC reboot. I know that she birthed three children into this world...raised them as a single mother before it was all "hip and cool" and had the great pain of burying one of them way too early. She had BEAUTIFUL penmanship. They don't teach penmanship, anymore, and it's a crying shame. I remember getting the Christmas cards from her and feeling so special because of the fine writing on the envelope. Her words and greetings were always heartfelt...not out of obligation but out of sincerity and love.
I think, in her growing up years, she had to be one of those girls that other girls loved...because she was kind and gentle and sweet. I say that because that's who she seemed to be in her later years and some things are always there and they don't change. She was beautiful...a peaches and cream complexion and a smile that would rival the lights of NYC. She had to have been a charmer. She had the same DNA as FIL...who passed it on to Mr. Snark...who passed it on to The Younglings. They are charmers. That kind of "magic" can't be taught...it's strictly genetic. I know she wasn't perfect; none of us are. I'm thinking she was a force to be reckoned with when you got her riled...in a way that is particular to the women with roots in those east Tennessee hills. But it wasn't something that she kept out on the front porch...only brought out when necessary and warranted.
This is my memorial tribute to Cousin Cheryl Anne. Cancer. BOO!!!!! I will miss her comments about the pictures I post on F*cebook. I will miss the love she gave to my children...without ever meeting them...because she loved us, and of course, she would love our boyos. I will miss her words of encouragement and support. It makes me wish that there had been more opportunities for us to be together. Her gift to this world was encouragement. I will always be grateful for being on the receiving end of her gift.
Oh, to have seen that welcoming party at Heaven's gate!!!! Better than any family reunion we ever had in Mynatt Park!
She's one of FIL's MANY cousins. His daddy (George) was her mama's (Laura...although I've always heard her called Laurie)baby brother. From what I can gather, he...George...was the family favorite...little brother, favorite uncle to the nieces and nephews that were just slightly older than him and favorite uncle to the nieces and nephews that weren't much younger. Need help working all that out? When you are the last of eight or nine children, the first grandchildren can make their appearance before you are even born and then there are the grandchildren that come along shortly after you're born. Family trees...oh, how they twist and wind! Boiled down, Cheryl Anne and FIL were first cousins and from the first time I ever met her, she was always "Cousin Cheryl Ann." Mr. Snark and I hadn't tied the knot...but she made no bones about it: we were family.
The funniest thing about Cousin Cheryl Anne is that I didn't REALLY know a lot about her. We didn't live in close proximity and for a few years, the only time I saw her was at the family reunions. We exchanged Christmas cards. Into these modern years, I seem to recall emails that were exchanged and then we found each other on F*cebook. When I was blogging about FIL's illness, she was faithful to read those posts and she read my first blog (Punkin's Vine) and then became a faithful follower of the YBC reboot. I know that she birthed three children into this world...raised them as a single mother before it was all "hip and cool" and had the great pain of burying one of them way too early. She had BEAUTIFUL penmanship. They don't teach penmanship, anymore, and it's a crying shame. I remember getting the Christmas cards from her and feeling so special because of the fine writing on the envelope. Her words and greetings were always heartfelt...not out of obligation but out of sincerity and love.
I think, in her growing up years, she had to be one of those girls that other girls loved...because she was kind and gentle and sweet. I say that because that's who she seemed to be in her later years and some things are always there and they don't change. She was beautiful...a peaches and cream complexion and a smile that would rival the lights of NYC. She had to have been a charmer. She had the same DNA as FIL...who passed it on to Mr. Snark...who passed it on to The Younglings. They are charmers. That kind of "magic" can't be taught...it's strictly genetic. I know she wasn't perfect; none of us are. I'm thinking she was a force to be reckoned with when you got her riled...in a way that is particular to the women with roots in those east Tennessee hills. But it wasn't something that she kept out on the front porch...only brought out when necessary and warranted.
This is my memorial tribute to Cousin Cheryl Anne. Cancer. BOO!!!!! I will miss her comments about the pictures I post on F*cebook. I will miss the love she gave to my children...without ever meeting them...because she loved us, and of course, she would love our boyos. I will miss her words of encouragement and support. It makes me wish that there had been more opportunities for us to be together. Her gift to this world was encouragement. I will always be grateful for being on the receiving end of her gift.
Oh, to have seen that welcoming party at Heaven's gate!!!! Better than any family reunion we ever had in Mynatt Park!
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