Cousins
- Leigh Gerstenberger
- 2 days ago
- 2 min read
One of the blessings that resulted from COVID was that it created an opportunity for me to re-connect with family members from around the country.
Growing up, my family always vacationed at the Jersey Shore. This gave us an opportunity to spend time with our grandparents each summer along with aunts, uncles, cousins and other distant relatives who lived in that area. Our vacations often turned into family reunions that lasted a week or more.
Of course, over the years, grandparents passed away, aunts and uncles retired or relocated, and my cousins went off to college never returning to their Jersey Shore roots.
Our connections became less frequent, reuniting at weddings, funerals and visiting one another when business or personal travel took us within proximity to where a relative was living.
Mostly we’d stay informed through Christmas cards, social media and the occasional conversation with another family member who could fill us in on what was happening with someone they had just spoken with or spoken with another family member about.
This went on for decades, until COVID hit. Once we realized that our world was dealing with a major public health crisis, thoughts turned to extended family members and how they were handling the pandemic. Several of our parents, aunts and uncles were in their 80s and 90s. Some were living alone and many of us were concerned about how they were navigating this season of life. One of my nephews in his 20s was hospitalized for several weeks with severe COVID symptoms. Due to the quarantine protocols in place, his immediate family was unable to visit him the entire time he was hospitalized.
As the downward spiral of COVID continued, a unique opportunity presented itself. Thanks to zoom technology, my extend family began a weekly “Zoom Reunion” where aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews gather virtually on Monday evenings to check in and catch up with one another. Today, more than five years after the inception of these reunions, those who are available still visit every Monday evening for an hour or so on zoom.
In addition to reconnecting, thanks to several family members who enjoy genealogy, and with the help of ancestary.com, our weekly gatherings now include second and third cousins (who most of us had never known previously) and occasionally some of their children.
As a result of becoming acquainted with “new” relatives, we often have conversations around, how we’re related to one another and what exactly is a second cousin, once removed?
I was reminded of these conversations recently when I happened upon an article entitled, Second Cousin or Once Removed? Untangling the Family Tree. If you’re not well versed on this topic, I hope you’ll find this interesting.