Cousin Junior

Since I was a little girl, my sister Joan sang the praises of our cousin Junior. Soon, I, too, was a fan. He made me feel special, asking questions, listening to my answers, making comments, suggestions. Actually, ask anyone who knows him and they'll all say the same thing: Junior makes me feel special, treasured, unique. He's the relative you want to be sure to see, spend time with, when he comes home at holiday time, or any other time of the year.

For a few years, he sent me Christmas gifts. I still treasure one in particular, a silver, Native American-made bracelet with matching earrings.

Far more importantly than gifting is his fondness for the human condition. He was a dedicated Boy Scout, faithfully living the Boy Scout Promise. The ultimate achievement is the rank of Eagle Scout, an honor that only 3% of all Boy Scouts earn. Junior was one of the 3%. He was off to Europe then, to experience a broader view of the world before he headed off to college.

At home, he helped his dad become a member of a country club. When uncle, a businessowner who worked from home, applied for membership in one of the two clubs, he'd been blackballed. Neither club accepted Italian-Americans, or Jews. That injustice rubbed Junior the wrong way, and he couldn't rest until he'd done something to change it. In a relatively short time, using those extraordinary people skills of his, he broke down the barriers. Soon, his Italian-American dad was welcomed as a member.

Before he got on with the rest of his life, Junior joined the Navy in WWII to help America win the war, and became an ensign. The picture of him in his Navy whites hung in aunt and uncle's den until my 91-year-old widowed aunt gave up housekeeping. It was the first thing you saw when you walked into the room. His was a face you liked instantly.

Why am I telling you about my cousin Sam, Jr.? Because, among his other wonderful traits and accomplishments, he's a published writer. By the time he left the Navy, he'd penned his first book, "Amen, Amen." Then came the second, "Tale of the Twain," both for Harper & Row. Junior liked the work-world too well to leave it. Yet writing was such an integral part of his life that he always found time to pursue writing projects. Junior was always an inspiration to me; I just didn't fully know why at the time.

Then, suddenly, it became apparent. I wanted to belong, like him, to the world of writing.

A while back, our local newspaper sponsored a Christmas Memories essay contest. I immediately sat down to write about a favorite Christmas childhood memory. I called it, "Two Old Gents." It told the story of my fifth, and my Grandpa's last, Christmas, and the last year I believed in Santa Claus. It won the grand prize, and a $35 cash award. Aunt sent the piece to Junior, who loved it. That approval in my fledgling life as a writer from a cousin I so admired urged me to keep at it. He was, and is, my inspiration.

Sometimes, it's the people we know and love who can send us, knowingly or not, on our journey to fulfillment in a field we love. Thanks in part to Junior, my feet are firmly planted on the road to writing success.