This picture is a very special picture. It symbolizes a future and a hope. In it, Aunt Lady, the oldest member of my paternal family is holding my cousin’s newborn, who is, of course, the youngest member of the family. He’s also the first one I’ve loved on when he was little. I spent the weekend up there with my cousins having fun, and also maybe not so much.

This shot is actually in color, but I didn’t want to ruin the moment with flash, so it appears in shades of grey. I’ve lightened it so you can see the faces a bit. And yes, this is the baby whose face I was looking into when I tweeted that tweet:

Today’s defining moment: I looked into the face of a newborn baby and did not want one myself. 6:28 PM Jan 17th from txt

I fired this shot off not too long before we left on the 20th, three of my children, and my other cousin’s daughter.

When I look at pictures of this side of my family, there is an incredible mix of emotions. It is so very difficult to understand how much we “get” each other, having spent so little time together over the years. The feeling I get there is “one of us”, in a way I don’t get anywhere else. It’s a nice feeling, but a bit overwhelming, because…well, it is so unexpected, I guess.