Mine. All of them. Even the weird ones. Especially the weird ones.

I was born into the biggest family you can imagine. No – I don’t have 17 siblings and my parents didn’t either. But if you go back to my grandparent’s generation (the surviving 2 are almost 95 yrs old) there were 5-6 kids in each of our local families and they were very close and still spend as much time together as possible.

4-5 generations later… Last night my “baby” cousin Lydia (who is a married Doctor and speaks Japanese) stopped for the night on her way home from a quick trip to Pennsylvania. As we munched our burgers and drank beer – laughed and shared pictures, it struck me that each of them are home to me. And there are HUNDREDS of them.

The (still) annual descent on our little beach town in NC was an amazing thing for me growing up. It was the most stability I could ever imagine. I knew without a doubt, that every August, come hell, highwater or hurricane (we have experienced all), I would be enveloped for a week or two by my enormous family. My mother would relax into the southern atmosphere (and libations) and leave me the fuck alone for a while. My cousins and Aunts and Uncles always seemed to understand that I came from a home that was less than perfect and they would spend the full extent of our trip loving me and building me up. Some years it honestly was enough to carry me through the next twelve months. My Uncles (who have all passed away now) Vance, Marcus, Jack, Bill and Guy(the most recent loss and biggest sting tonight) would remind me how strong I was. It was as if they just sensed what I needed by some strange psychic genetic thing. My aunts (most are still here) taught me all the southern belle things my mother DETESTED about her heritage. I laughed at most of it but to this day still embrace a lot of it!

When I got older, the time I spent with my various branches of said family served as my “refresh” button. I processed things by talking about what happened and hearing their opinions. Events in my life seem to attain status and meaning in my life by being known to my family. Heartbreak, medical things (small and big), my mother’s deterioration… When my Lydia left this morning I just took a deep breath, processed the past few months and moved forward with strength in my heart.

They are mostly crazy, very drunk, so hysterical it hurts, loving, accepting, judgemental and strong. They marry and procreate and divorce and die. They leave big marks on this world or are hardly heard. The span every inch of the states and parts of the world beyond. But they are ALL mine and I am all theirs. I can not imagine a world without any single one of them. We fight, we forgive, we welcome babies and say goodbye at funerals but mostly we stand fiercely together no matter how far apart we are and make sure we are all ok. Its nice to realize that I no longer need to be at the beach to process and move forward with my life. I can achieve the same thing in one day with one of them. Any of them.

This morning my cousin Jane (Lydia’s sister) called and we had a long conversation about her boyfriend. She and I haven’t spoken in almost 8 months but as always it seemed as if we have never been apart. I could tell she was processing. I provided her with a touchstone and a loving voice. We may not speak again for a while, but we both know we could and come hell or highwater we will spend a week or two together in August.

Death on thanksgiving – IVF should be against the law

If you have not watched this entire video – you can not post angry comments to me about why the selfishness of IVF is OK and how I am horrible for even considering it a bad thing.

This beautiful child died a slow and horribly painful death in a rescue center in Haiti on Thanksgiving morning.

How could you not consider adoption after watching this? We have beome such a selfish society. It has happened slowly over the centuries.

The fact of the matter is that if your body wont do it – there is a reason.

Choose adoption. If the money is a problem – the cost is virtually the same as IVF (yes I have researched this).

I am sure your children are beautiful. But is there a child out there who should have been yours who starved to death or is still waiting aimlessly in an orphanage?

You should all be ashamed of yourselves. Stop playing God in the selfish desires to procreate and find your child where he or she waits.

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Slapping Monkeys

And we’re back with the monkeys.

I actually have a category in my blog now for wierd monkey stories.

Found this on yahoo

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GUWAHATI, India (AFP) –

Troupes of monkeys are out of control in India’s northeast, stealing mobile phones and breaking into homes to steal soft drinks from refrigerators, lawmakers in the region have complained.

“Monkeys are wreaking havoc in my constituency by taking away mobile phones, toothpastes, sipping coke after opening the refrigerators,” Hiren Das told Assam state’s assembly.

He said the primates were “even slapping women who try to chase them”.

“It is a cause of serious concern in my area, with more than 1,000 such simians turning aggressive by the day,” fumed Goneswar Das, another legislator representing Raha in eastern Assam.

Assam’s wildlife minister, Rockybul Hussain, said the state government has formed a panel to study the problem.

Because of shrinking forest cover, monkeys have increasingly moved into cities elsewhere in India as well.

Last week, around two dozen people were hurt after monkeys rampaged through a New Delhi neighbourhood.

Last month, the deputy mayor of Delhi died when he fell from his balcony after being attacked by monkeys.

Efforts to drive out the animals is complicated by the fact that devout Hindus view them as an incarnation of Hanuman, the monkey god who symbolises strength.

Monkey Hurts 25 in India

Humans 0 Monkey 25

I stumbled upon this from United Press International…

A monkey eluded capture in New Delhi after injuring at least 25 people and reportedly trying to drag off several children, The Times of India reported Monday.

The monkey’s rampage Saturday night in Shastri Park came less than a month after Deputy Mayor S.S. Bajwa died after a monkey attacked him at his home, the Times reported.

Saturday’s attack began about 7 p.m. and continued late into the night and several of the injured included children less than 5 years old, some of whom the monkey tried to drag away, the Times reported

What is happening in India? Mad monkeys everywhere! I would be the tourist trying to feed the cute lil fella’s only to have my nose ripped off by a baboon.

And why didn’t someone stomp it? Its a monkey. Not an elephant. If a monkey tried to take my baby – its arm would be ripped off.