My cousin died.
He was my favourite cousin. He was as old as my mother, which adds to the...unpleasantness. I don't want to sound distant, but I do.
He would always pick us up at the airport, and he had the most cynical and funny and quirky humour I've ever seen in my large asian family. Last time he picked us up, in June, he immediately turned round in the car and told us this joke:
Three Koreans, Boo, Choo and Foo go to America. In order to become worthy American citizens, they decide to change their names. Boo calls himself Buck, Choo calls himself Chuck, and Foo...goes back to Korea.
My husband still laughs about that one every time he thinks about it: it was the first time he'd met my cousin.
He always laughed about his own jokes longer than anybody else did, too.
He loved to eat, and his worst insult was when he accused another cousin of being an idiot, because he "doesn't like salmon, the idiot". He loved meat. Whenever we flew in to visit, we'd smuggle a Kilo of frozen sausages past customs.
When we came in June, we threw a "get to know my new European husband"-party - just us and 50 of our closest relatives (*g*). My cousin held the welcoming speech and I still have a DVD of it that I can't bear to watch.
When I turned 19, he gave me money as a present and I bought a sexy black cocktail dress with it. As I twirled around in it, showing off, his mouth twitched and then he smiled and he turned away fast, so I wouldn't see the sparkle of pride in his eyes.
I only saw him once a year and yet I miss him, as if there were a hole somewhere, bearing his measurements.
He died a week ago. Now, I think of him. It must be all that hugging going on in the other thread.

I'm sorry to read that, Onions. It seems like your cousin was a very special person.

*extra hugs*

I'm sorry Onoins...

*hugs*

Thanks.

No one I cared about has died before. I feel like...the dying's started. There's such a lot of my family and...who knows who'll be next?

Now I have to laugh because, he may be dead, but they're still worrying about his appetite. "We should have given him the steak he wanted."
"I should have made the sausages for him immediately!".
No, I'm not hysterical. That really is so my family.

I guess I'll have to get used to laughing and crying at the same time.

I`m sorry too onions. Your cousin sounded like a really great guy. For what it`s worth I see a lot of that spark in you. Maybe that`s why he was proud of you. Who`d not be.

*extra hugs*

Thank you, Miho.

Heh, I'm sure he would totally prefer you laughing along with the sadness and pain. He sounds like an amazing guy, and also like the thing he'd want most is for yawl to continue ok without him.

*hugs, and raise a glass of amaretto*

*amaretto*.
Good idea. Thanks.

Very sorry for your loss Onions. I am very close to my cousins as well even though I don't see them as often as I would like.

My condoleances...

*hugs*

*hugs* he sounds like a very very special kind of person. you have my sincerest *hugs*

He sounded like he was a great guy onions-
that whole entry made me nearly cry. Sorry for your loss and much love your way.

I wanted to say thank you very much, all of you. That really helped.

onions

Sweets, it is hard when a loved one passes.. but to help ease the grieving process is to remember those things special about them.. not how they died.. celebrate their life...

Loved the joke..

Stanley Tookie Williams.

West Wing's John Spencer

I'm actually quite stunned by this one.

William 'Duke' Procter

never say you are too old for anything. this dude was 100 years old when he first went sky diving and drove a car until 102.

Vincent Schiavelli

And Fred, the Donut Man :-(

My sister-in-law's naked rat...