JustynTime: A little cousin bonding

I love the beach. I love the smell of the ocean, the coolness of the water, and hearing the waves crash on the shore. I even love the sand, even though it gets everywhere.

I've always loved going to the beach and being by the water, but what always draws me in and keeps me coming back is being able to share it with people I love. In my experience, the beach has always been a place where bonding is inevitable. No matter who you go with, your relationship with that person just grows stronger. Chalk it up to the atmosphere and being surrounded by nature, or maybe it's because you're not glued to your techie device. Whatever it is, God has used this setting in my life to appreciate him more and help make me love Him and his creation more. 

I had the privilege of driving out to Seal Beach last weekend to spend the day with my cousins on my Dad's side of the family. I'm the second oldest of the grandchildren, my sister being the first. I've grown up with these fools and seen them enter so many different phases of life. We're all so different. We are into completely different scenes and we all are taking completely different paths in life. Also, we're all weird! We're very very weird. But magically, we get along. 

I don't have the luxury of seeing them every day. I think if we did, we would be super annoyed at each other. We're pretty much scattered across Southern California (with the exception of my cousin Jaq out at Carnegie Melon), but we see each other often throughout the year. When we do get together, there's always an awkwardness and it's kind of funny. We just sometimes don't know what to say. Eventually we warm up to each other. 

This past weekend was a pretty special time for us. As different as we all are, and even as awkward as we may be around each other, or stupid, or annoying, we love each other. Family is important to all of us. 

I can say confidently that we would do anything for each other and I feel so blessed knowing that I can count on them. A lot can happen in an instant. Your life can change in a blink and it gets scary. But I find solace in the fact that God placed me somewhere surrounded by this kind of love. Especially with the most unlikely people to get along with.

Cousin time is a rare commodity for the Alura Dynasty. This is definitely a first for us, but I hope we do it more often. I love these guys.








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