This world is filled with cousins, not just for me. Although, I admit I may be unique. You see, I have over 50 first cousins. Add to that, I can’t even count the number of others that are designated cousin in the relative tree. On my maternal side, my grandparents had over 20 siblings, and on my paternal side, my grandparents had at least 10 that I am aware of. So, start multiplying those aunts and uncles’ offspring and their offspring, as well as the offspring of my 50 first cousins and their offspring. If you brought us all together by my bloodline alone, we could build a city. Do I know all of them? Of course not, but I am proud to say that I knew all 50 plus first cousins. Some have passed on much too early. But, out of the ones left, some were as close as if they were my own siblings, others I vacationed with and got to know them that way, others I didn’t get to know until we were adults, but all of them I know personally and love. Thanks to Facebook and occasional family reunions, I know a few of their extensions, and in other cases, I know their offspring well. That’s why it was so exciting to have all three of my grandchildren together this past week. They were getting to know each other better, creating memories that will last a lifetime. Watching them connect made me consider our connections beyond our bloodlines, and it hit me. We, humanity, are all cousins to some extent.
To take that thought a little further, all of creation is related in some manner. We are made of the same substances, the same energy as plant life, animal life, and the soil and rocks beneath our feet. We were all created by the same Universal source, whether you refer to It as God or the Universe or your cultural name for either. One thought created this world and all that is in it, so that thought, that God is the parent of all that exists. If we came from one parent, then we are definitely brothers and sisters and whatever we create makes our offspring, our creations, cousins. When mankind finally realizes we are one family exhibiting a variety of uniqueness that contributes to the betterment of us all, we will accept each other as family living in a world full of cousins.
Dilsa Saunders Bailey is an independent author who has not only self-published three novels and a non-fiction book; she has spent most of her medical services career writing policies, bylaws, operations manuals, and more over the last 27 years. Dilsa is now coaching writers through the self-publishing journey and helping them to set up their businesses using their books as a marketing tool to build their platforms. If you want to learn more about how she can help you, contact her at dilsa@simplydilsa.com or join her blog below to keep up to date with her books and seminars.
