Long Lost Cousins

I am planning a trip to Mississippi in early March.   I have two uncles who live there.  I believe I should see them one more time.  Both of my parents have been deceased for quite a while.  I was always very close to my Uncle Clinton, my father's brother. Because he has dementia, I'm not entirely sure he will know me, but I believe that the trip will be worth the effort.

A long lost cousin made contact a couple of years ago, and is now a Facebook friend.  She said on Facebook that if I am ever in the area, we should get together.  I told her I was coming and asked if we could meet somewhere for lunch in between.  Half way in between is Jackson, Mississippi. She is from Baton Rouge Louisiana.  Joyce is a first cousin whom I have not seen for over fifty years.

My mother's parents had both died by the time I was five or six years old.  Consequently, we never had family get-togethers at their house.  Visits to my uncles'  homes were infrequent, and therefore, I lost contact with those families fairly early in my life,  especially after I moved north.

My cousin Joyce is bringing along to lunch a couple of her sisters, and her mother.  She also contacted a first cousin from another one of my mother's brothers.   It is shaping up to be a convention of cousins.  The truth is,  I do not really know these people at all.  Still, I am looking forward to it.  It ought to be an interesting occasion.  At the very least, we can share our life stories and catch up on the past fifty or fifty five years!

My other grandparents, my Dad's parents, lived to ripe old ages.   Throughout my childhood, I enjoyed  large family gatherings at their house.

My hope would be that long after I am dead and gone, my children will still get together on occasion and enjoy one another's company.