Full Circle

My cousin has been living with me for a year now.

I feel fortunate that my cousin lives with me.

I lived with my cousin for three years before moving in with Jeff.  When I moved in with Brian, he had broken up with his girlfriend so it worked out perfectly for both of us.  I needed to move out of my parents' house and he needed help with the rent.  His son was only a year old when I moved in and was four when I moved out to live with Jeff.

My cousin and I are only about a year apart and we have always gotten along really well.  He's just such an easy going person and so handy around the house.  The under-cabinet microwave went out a few weeks ago and I thought it would cost a fortune to have someone replace it, but Brian did it.  Jeff and I didn't even know how to use his drill so I know Jeff was looking down and smiling that someone was finally using his drill properly.

Unfortunately, when I moved in with Jeff it was hard to stay close with Brian, we just had such different lives and we only saw each other on major holidays for the next nine years or so.

A little over a year after Jeff died, Brian had broken up with another girlfriend and needed a place to live.  He was only supposed to move in for about 6 months but we have realized how beneficial the situation is for both of us and I'm hoping that he stays for a while longer. 

We both have such different schedules, he works retail and I keep teacher hours so sometimes we go days without seeing each other.  His son is now an 8th grader and he has a stepson that's in 7th grade and Brian takes care of his nephew part time as well, who is in 2nd grade. The kids bring me joy.  Even though I only see them every so often, they bring such life to the house.  They're always wrestling and joking and in such good moods.  I try to help them with homework when I can and when they allow me to (I'm such a teacher!).  It's awesome to see them practically grown up after spending so much time with them when they were toddlers.

Where we are now is different yet strangely the same.  Of course our lives have changed in the last decade or so but they have also stayed the same in that we both still get along so well and we are living so seamlessly with each other again, like we picked up where we left off before Jeff. 

Brian and I have discussed how strange it is to have come full circle like this.  We were roommates before Jeff and are roommates again after Jeff.  I'm glad Brian and I have been able to help each other.

Full circle with family.