Someone asked me who I am and this is what I discovered within myself...

I have four sons...34, 32, 30, 28 in May. My youngest, only daughter will be 26 this month. I also have been blessed with 6 grandsons...13, 10, 9, 8, almost ten months, and 4 months old and one grand daughter...8...and another, God willing, will be joining us sometime in August :-). My Mom is still here. I have 4 brothers and a sister that also live within 10 miles of me, along with the many, many nieces and nephews. I have around 400 living relatives, most of whom live within a few miles...some a little farther. About 45 minutes up the road and a little west, my father, wonderful step-mother, aunts uncles, cousins...and my 94 year old grandmother than can't be kept down....lol. Don't know why I told you all of this...sorry if I bored you :-)...But these....are me...who I am, and why I cannot leave :-)

You are very blessed to have some much family around, especially that they live close. I'm sure it's a wonderful thing to have so many relatives close by.

400 living relatives? AND within close distance?! That should make for crowded family get-togethers.....

Yeah First one we had in 20 years, EVERYONE showed up...we all know each other so it was Totally Awesome :-)...and I can't help but notice that everyone is always so happy....

No kidding... but it is also wonderful to always have family close by when you need them and they need you. Not a lot of people can say that these days.

I am a mother to seven year old adopted son with Down syndrome, and mother to four grown children. I mom, friend, daughter and family is where my heart is. I am a writer, a romantic, a dreamer, and an optimist. I will be a grandmother in May.

YOU,,,,,are YOU,,,and no-one CAN EVER MAKE YOU,,,NOT YOU,,,,so IF I WAS YOU,,,I'D LOVE YOU,,and NEVER CHANGE


THIS WAS JUST FOR "YOU",,,,,,,,YOU!!!



With a big HUG,,,and wuts of wuv....

Yes,,,YOU are.....and a dang fine YOU I might add,,,so HERE'S TO ALL OF YOU's,,,YOU......


I SAY,,,GROUP HUG TIME HERE.....

I am very proud to be one of the few...and yes...we are always there for one another.

How blessed you are, and they for having you

T! I DO BELIEVE WE HAVE ALREADY DISCUSSED YOUR YELLING HABITS THIS EVENING...QUIET!!!!!! ...and thank you

With all due respect, I call Family "Damnly". While it's great you and your relatives are so close-many people around the Globe are Not. Sometimes, family causes the vast majority of our grief, stress, and uncertainty. Family has been the cause of problems-and though I come from a large bunch....I realize, it's ok to let them go. We don't have to be connected at the hip to be in touch or to be close. It is what it is.

dang an i thought i had a big family guess i'm not the only one lol

Exactly, and probably why someone asked the question in the first place.

Here's what I get from this blurb...

Family means a lot to you. You have a lot of family, and they all live nearby. But it also makes one wonder how much social interaction you have outside of family. Four hundred relatives within a few miles? It's great to have happy and healthy relationship with family. It's also great to not be defined by family. So, have you let family define who you are rather than defining yourself?

MisKim, I'm not going to speak for Singmesweet.

In fact, I may not have done a very good job phrasing my questions in my own post.

Working off what you said...

Family has made you who you are. You appear to view this as a good thing, and are proud of it. Your situation is remarkable and exceptional. Most of us cannot relate to having 400 relatives close by.

Can we ask for clearer picture to help us envision this? A few details about how family has helped to shape you. The good. The bad. The defining moment, or the story which bests illustrates how your family has influenced you.


I'm sure I have at least 400, probably many many more, relatives within an hour's drive. Both sides of my family have ancestors dating back to the founding of Connecticut, including the Pratts, the Buckinghams, the Lees, and the Huntleys. I know I have never met more than maybe 50 despite living here all of my life. So, your situation is alien even to me....and I'm the family genealogist.

Just want to see things through your eyes rather than a list of relatives and their ages. Am I making sense?

wonderful to read MisKim, I know how much family means to you and again Congrats on the new grandbaby!

I'm pretty much the opposite. I live alone with all my family living in Canada or Arizona. I think it's different for men to be alone though, I never minded it at all.

Thank you :-). And yes, I know with each situation, each family, it's different. And I am not saying that it is always perfect, for we do have a few "strays" that have to have a little drama for attention. But I began to reflect and realized that for as many family members as I have...most are always so happy and loving. I don't think it's so much different for men..I think it's just in the way we were raised and what we are accustomed to.

So sad that your family has chosen to be this way. Your son is very blessed to have a parent so dedicated to his well being. Having a child with special needs is one of the greatest challenges in life and it takes a very awesome person to live this life. I commend you on sticking by your child and making sure he has everything he needs....only love can do that

Who I am, I cannot answer. Who I am is relative, and can vary between being a pauper to a Pope.

What I am, however, is an entirely different story. What I am does not differe from person to person. I am a mind in a human body.

So, although who I am could be anything from a butt-wipe, to a saint, depending upon what I may be doing, what I am is defined by my job, which never varies.

I think this is wonderful. I have a small family and try to keep my distance from about half of them. Lots of abuse all around growing up. I always wondered what it was like to grow up in a big family and have them to help out when you needed it. My mother and I have a good relationship now, but I never had her or anyone to help me out with the challenges of life. At least not until more recently. So, I guess, in a way, I kind of envy what you have. Not in a bad way....I am happy that you have it.

I think if people understood the connection we have to our blood relatives and our ancestors they wouldn't be asking what the title has to do with what you wrote. I get it. They are who you are. That's beautiful.