Remembering My Cousin

My grandmother brought you over to my house to introduce you to the family. We were both young kids and had no clue what was going on. We just wanted to play. I showed you some of my favorite toys, and from that moment on I knew you would be someone important in my life.

After spending more time with you at my grandma’s house you became my cousin. And we both felt connected in the thought that we were closer to each other than our other cousins. It was the first time I could ever hang out with someone closer to my age in the family.

There were other kids that came and went through my grandma’s house, and a few of them ended up staying for good. But even when we grew up and moved away from our childhood homes, the memories of talking about life and crazy stories, back in the California-mission-style house located in a town so small that it didn’t have a mall, always made you one of my favorite cousins.

You ended up only staying on this earth for 22 years, but you have forever changed my life with your beautiful smile and your loving personality. You cared so much about your family and were always there to stand up and protect them at all costs. I really loved that about you.

I’ll always miss hearing you playfully argue with my sister about who really won that ridiculous UNO tournament, or whose idea it was to hide that really weird tasting spinach dish around the house so we wouldn’t have to eat it. You always have, and always will be, a part of my life.

I love you, cousin. You will be missed more than you know.