Family is important to me. I guess that would seem weird because many of you reading this have probably never met me. That is because I grew up in California, isolated from most of my extended family. I moved away from home when I was 18 and am proud to say I didn't look back, my parents raised me to be independent. That didn't stop me from creating a family wherever I moved to. I always had the same comfort food on Easter, spent Thanksgiving around the table at someone's home. And when I got my first place became the hostess... everybody is welcome in our home. We've had guest show up that we barely knew. We laugh, play games, eat, and get on each other's nerves... just like family. My kids don't always know the difference.

I had the closeness I think a family is supposed to have once, for a little while, then my Auntie passed and that was torn apart. My cousin left California, and it changed the course of our lives forever. Her death....(here's where I stop keeping family secrets)....detroyed my mother. I miss her even now, 20+ years later. We were close.....

I found out recently that a cousin I have never met is gravely ill. If you pray.. pray for her and her family. I believe in miracles, I am one. God gave me a family, we are close, we love each other, we fight, and we would fight anybody else for each other. I grieve family that I have never met, I grieve memories never made....But I cherish the ones I do have, sandy hot dogs, fights in the pulpit, toys dug up from a basement, the smell of 7-up cake and the best hot water cornbread (courtesy of Agnes Sherman) in the world. So if you want to create a memory, come visit us at Thanksgiving, we aren't sure if we'll be in Vegas or Disneyland but you're welcome at either place.