It was a lot of fun as a child growing up in this family, as a majority of the family showed up almost every Sunday at Grandma’s so there were always cousins to play kick the can, hide and seek, or whatever game we came up with. Our aunts and uncles were very loving and always claimed hugs from all the kids. Our uncles gave out “birthday spankings” and called all of us girls “Sally,” no matter what our names were.

Our family increased so much that we moved our family get-togethers into an old chicken house that our aunt fixed up to accommodate everyone.

Us cousins don’t always get to see each other as much as when we were growing up, but the love and importance of family our grandparents, aunts and uncles taught us, through their own actions, is still alive in us today. I’m thankful to God for great memories and such a rich heritage.

Teresa Cagle, Asheboro, a member of Randolph EMC