As a child my parents would bring me to family reunions and cousin's picnics and I would always ask if I could stay. More often than not, they would work it out so I could stay there with one of the relatives. Because of distance, often it would be for a week or two. I loved staying with my relatives. As I got older, I wanted to know more about my family. Who are these wonderful people who let me spend time in their lives? We were family, but I really didn't know much about them beyond a game at a family reunion and a week or two spent with them. Where did we all come from?
I started to look at my family history. In my early 30's it became even more of an interest. After doing some poor research, my grandaunt taught me the importance of doing good genealogy research and being accurate (it doesn't matter what I think, it only matters what I can prove). Since then I have pursued my roots so I can understand the amazing family history I, and now my own descendants have come from.
Your family is a lot more than what you might think. When you scratch beyond the surface you discover just how much there is to love and cherish.