Call Your Relatives, Hug Your Family, Show Your Love

On Friday, at approximately 1 p.m., our family lost my thirty-one-year-old cousin on my mom's side, who also happened to be named the same first and middle name I have, to kidney failure. This was after doctors declared him no longer responsive.

I am not asking for prayers, I am not asking for you to feel sorry for my loss, I am not asking for you to give money to charity. Heck, you don't even have to reply or say anything, but I do have a request:

What I am asking of each of you to do is to acknowledge that your family is there as a bloodline that dates back to centuries of culture and tradition, and of pride and mostly happy moments with a few sad ones here and there, that has built YOU into what you are today.

We have an extensive family. With my cousin, I had a few disagreements but, above all, I always let him know I cared for him and we disagreed on things but always trying to help each other out when we could. Over the last few years, though, I was out of his life and now I regret it...

Don't forget about your cousins, aunts and uncles, nephews and nieces, grandparents, their immediate families, and anyone in between. Don't hold a grudge. Talk things out, be in each others' lives. Share good times and bad times. Just BE THERE.

Without our families, we are nothing. In Mexican culture, we value family and our principles and tradition more than work and other things, so it's fitting that we in our family all responded this way: More than 50 of my family members on my mother's side (only her siblings and siblings' kids and THEIR kids and my grandparents) were present at my cousin's Family-Only viewing at the chapel. People from all over the city, outside the city, and even outside the state were present. Although it was a somber feeling and something I hadn't felt ever, it was a good thing that we all got together to see my cousin for one of the last few times (he will have graveside service on Tuesdayand will finally be laid in his final place on Earth).

I spoke with my other cousin, his younger brother, about how we shouldn't see each other only when things like this happen. As you could understand, he was feeling worse and we all noticed. I told him about how much I've hated being away from him and my now gone cousin, with whom I can no longer share any moments. I expressed to him how I am not perfect and in any way trying to alienate myself from them, and how they are different in the fact that they have their own lives only, but that it shouldn't stop us from being together again. We used to be together a lot, but that is gone now because of our work, school, our kids, etc. I miss those moments when we were younger and spent good and bad times with our misdeeds and pranks.

I miss my cousin now, but I know he's resting at peace. I know it's for the better and for himself, the best thing. I can't express fully in words what it is to lose a cousin, but it feels much worse that he was the 5th one from my generation of cousins.

Show each of your family members how much you care without waiting for the last time.

I won't take more of your time. Thank you for reading.

While this is a much more than serious post, I will still post an obligatory smiley thingie that lets you know it's me and that I am still in my 5 senses: .

 

Thank you, everyone, for your kind words and lifted spirits.

Thank you. Not even. He lived in South Houston... went to the schools around there (forgot if Milby or another high school). See, that's what I'm talking about. I don't even remember that.

 

Nope. His brother went to Chavez for the last couple years when they first opened it (they lived close to OGR at the time) because I remember him saying that a couple times, but not him. I am guessing it was Milby. I will ask.