Childhood reflections with a touch of grace: All in the family

I grew up in a large family, though I only had three siblings. We had cousins for miles on both sides of the family. Fortunately, my father made sure that we were all well acquainted, spending lots of time discovering and disturbing the world around us. A large family can serve as a fortress against loneliness and loss of identity. My dear Aunt Lora Gibson used to sit me next to her, amidst her lazy, drooling bulldog and stacks of newspapers that would make the Library of Congress jealous. She would tell stories of distant relatives and their various shenanigans through the decades, and those tales always made me smile and appreciate where I came from. She filled my heart with connections t