Write To Life     by Elana Horwitz

Praising Cousin Jake

Elana Horwitz

originally published in Partners in Kindness

Family relationships can be tense without rational reasons. When a cousin visited, he brought a special occasion dress that I had ordered from overseas for my daughter as a splurge. My mother in law was impressed with the quality black velvet and satin ribbon. She asked me where the dress had come from. Knowing that she thought of this uncle as a person with poor taste, I said, not dishonestly, "Oh, Cousin Jake brought that!" Although he had only delivered the dress and not selected or paid for it, my response was enough to smooth over temporarily the relationship between him and my mother in law, and the entire family enjoyed a nice visit together.