The Ties Never Break...

I am not a motorhead, car freak, or a grease monkey, but my DNA has those traits. My family is chock full of people who love cars and motorcycles. I realized yesterday how much I've been blessed to be a member of my clan.

     My uncles and older cousins have always had "cool" cars, as far back as I can remember. Yesterday, on a long-promised adventure, I was reminded of how me and my cousin Joe Rock would "steal" their cars. Lol. Imagine if an older cousin had a candy apple red Nissan Maxima (leather seats, sounds) parked outside a family gathering. "Hey cuz, can I borrow your car to run to the store?" The keys are tossed and we would be off on an adventure throughout Chicago! Shout out to my older cousins for letting us "borrow" a '91 Honda Accord (ground effects, sounds in fiberglass!), a '69 Chevy Malibu convertible, and all of the other cars we were given access to.

     About fifteen years ago, me and my buddy Big Shawn promised my older cousin Bryon White that we would take him to the Volo Car Museum. We earned the nicknames "Fake" and "Jake" because the trip became an elusive daydream until yesterday.

       We lived up to our word, and the museum was great! Muscle cars, dream vehicles, Hollywood stuff, and history. The museum was excellent and I highly recommend it. The company and the conversation made the day even better...

       My cousin and me used to be super tight, but I can say the same thing about most of my cousins. We're a close-knit clan, but life happens. The weekly conversations and hang-outs become monthly texts or seasonal gatherings. It used to be that at least once a month there would be a clan gathering. A birthday party, fish fry, card party, barbecue, or something. But life happens, and the gatherings have become few and far between.

      Yesterday was a reminder that the ties which bind my clan together are still strong, blood is still thicker than water, and memories of those who have departed into Eternity will keep us close knit. I got it.

      The family Cook-off is in two weeks, so it'll be a clan gathering. The White-Gandy Family Reunion will be in Memphis at the end of July where new memories will be made. The Annual Cousins Party will be in October, and I'll see y'all at the Christmas breakfast. Let's get back to how we used to be...

       May the ties that bind us together always keep us close...