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{weblog_name} - Cousin David
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On Wednesday night, my family drove out to Great Falls, Virginia to have dinner with cousins. It wasn’t a New Year’s dinner nor was it for any holiday purpose. Next week, my cousin David, a U.S. Marine captain, is leaving his North Carolina base for eight months of active duty in Afghanistan. Around the dining room table, we told family stories, laughed, remembered with reverence people who had since died in our family. But we all knew we were there for a purpose, to wish Godspeed to our beloved cousin. I looked at David’s father Jon, and his brother Richard, and I couldn’t help but remember when we were all children and sat around listening to our parents tell stories. I always felt warm and safe with my family at my mother’s dining room table or my aunt’s dining… read more