En familia. En memoriam.

I set up a family website a couple of years (four?) to commemorate my grandma lupe. Last year, my sister asked me to update the information, so the site would send up little email reminders about when everyone's birthday comes around.

When we were all together for Thanksgiving, my dad was excited about it and wanted one for his side of the familia. I set it up, and he has been emailing the familia in Califas, Colorado, and Nuevo Mexico, either hooking them up or telling them "email Ktrion to get hooked up."

I let go of the family tree, posting it online and asking cousins to start filling in their branches. When I looked at it today, I could see sketches of my cousins lives, with marriages, divorces, kids, adoptions. I haven't seen any other same-sex couples besides me and L*, although I know that this tree's a lot more bent than it looks at first glance.

A week ago I posted the first foto to this site, of my tía and tío. Almost immediately, other family members started posting pictures. Of my tías and their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. Three days ago, my dad was emailing me fotos of the new bis-sobrino so I could put them up.

Two days ago, Yr*na, one of my cousins posted a message saying "pray for Tom" a cousin (whom my family still calls "Tommy") whom I haven't thought of for years.

I just read a new post from Yr*na, saying our cousin died last night. After a quick email exchange, she gave me the cellphone number for our cousin's daughter. I called my dad to share the information I had with him. He says this email is the best invention since pen and paper.

A few years back, I wrote a poem, which I guess I did not keep a copy of, called To:myfamilia@internet. I was a grumpy girl at the time, tired of receiving "jokes" from another cousin, whose social, political, and religious viewpoints are radically opposed to my own.

What a strange media the internet is. making you feel so connected and disconnected at the same time.

En memoriam, to my cousin Tommy