Everyone is allowed to have their favorites. A favorite brother, or grandmother… an aunt or uncle. For me, for the longest time, in my youth, my favorite was a cousin. I’ll call her Ms. B__. For the longest time, Ms. B__ and I were inseparable. In middle school, and high school, Ms. B__ and I were best friends. Ms. B__ and I have not talked to one another in a long while. Years and years have been lost. Life happens; things get hectic. And moving around from state to state, as I have done, does not make it easy to stay close.

However, with the advent of modern technology, remaining close to loved ones is not only possible. It is easy.

It was through messaging that made reconnecting with Ms. B__ possible.

And that has been such a good thing. It made my heart happy finding out – even through my lost years – my dear cousin still loves and thinks about me.

After we reconnected, I discovered she has a daughter. And her daughter could use a friend.

Because of that, I met her daughter, Ms. M__. I met her through a ZOOM meeting, but I met her, none the less. And talk about a good, smart, and sharp little cookie that, without surprise, looks exactly like her mother. It almost brought tears to my eyes.

Our interaction did not last all that long. But plans for a future visit are in the works.

It is very meaningful to me to be able to connect with family. As much as I have abandonded, or abused, or neglected them, there are still a few that give me the time of a day for a message… sometimes even a conversation.