Losing family!

I attended a funeral on Monday! My cousin Scott passed away. He was 46 and too young to die. Yet it was time for him to return to a place we can't remember. He was a good friend to my sister SueAnn who passed away in the spring. My family is Catholic so we went to mass to celebrate his life and say goodbye. Scott was a Massachusetts state trooper so half of the church was filled with policemen. It was quite a site to be in the company of so many State troopers at once. Scott's best friend growing up gave the eulogy. It was well written and very sentimental. After mass we all gathered for lunch and time to talk about Scott.
I come from a big Italian family and many of them I only see at funerals. When I was a kid we had gone to several funerals in a short span of time and I got to know many of my relatives that way. Most of the time I introduced myself as Susan's daughter. My mother was well known in the family and often I would get a grin and an acknowledging nod. "Oh Susan's girls", there were 5 of us and everyone seemed to know.
Monday was different. Our family has gotten a lot smaller through the years and lots of people have moved away from Boston. It was strange to be there and not recognize or see familiar faces that I am use to seeing. It is sad when a family goes it's separate ways. When all that are left are cousins and the grandparents who held everyone together are gone. My children will never know of the amazing Italian food and the rich history that I knew. I can tell them but they will never see it first hand. I am sad for Scott's family and their loss and I am sad for my family and the loss of our Heritage. The one my kids never really knew.