family is family

What exactly does that mean?

I just don't understand how people can put aside not speaking for 6 years and just pretend it didnt happen?

My cousin Jaclyn called me and said "family is family" to me as if that would make it ok that it had been so long. It wasn't that I wasn't speaking to her. Just that neither of us saw our relationship as important or close enough to take care of in the past 6 years.

Jac: Well what have you been up to?

Me: I'm not about to re-cap my entire 6 years just to make you feel like you know me at all.

Jac: But we're family.

Me: If it were really that important to either of us maybe we should have picked up a phone sometime during those 6 years.

Jac: I guess I see family differently.

Me: No not really. I just consider my family to be people I actually know.

I know, I know I'm harsh. And perhaps I should have taken it easier on her what with being 27 and divorced already. But I didn't know that until she told me last night. I wasn't invited to the wedding.

But family is family.