Grandma and Cousins

This is my mom's maternal grandmother, and some of my mom's nieces and nephews (she was the youngest of 7, and was only about 13 when this picture was taken, so this is by no means all of her nieces and nephews).  A little over a generation later, I got to see my own grandmother often in circumstances like these.  Its uncanny how much she looked like her mother.

This is what several generations of my family looks like: lots of cousins, grandparents who delight in all these kids everywhere, able to see some of the benefits of all their years of sacrifice.  Lots of love, lots of people who share your story.

I've said it before, but its worth repeating: I know big families aren't everybody's thing.  I am deeply grateful that they're ours.