Roser's Family, or, The Side of the Family we Don't Hide the Knives From

Thursday night was my niece's 11th birthday. She is Roser's sister's daughter. I love her and have since the night she was born. Literally, I was there. Roser's sister, 'Rosie' was married, twice to the same jerk. Not the beating on her kind of jerk, the sitting on his ass stoned, screwing around on her, jerk. The only good thing he ever did in his life was contribute genetically to my two nieces, J and M. Rosie and Jerko were high school sweethearts, and Rosie is still close with Jerko's family. His sister and her two girls were at my nieces birthday. Rosie married an man she had known for many years, and she now has the kind of husband she deserves. He gives more, much more than he takes, and he loves her extended family. He treats her parents with love and respect, and her daughters like they are his own. He has two daughters who were 18 and 20 when he and Rosie got married three years ago. His daughters have loved Rosie's girls, and referred to them as sisters, (never using the word step) from day one. They have taken J and M to get pictures taken altogether for Father's Day and Christmas.
There was a large amount extended family at J's party. Good husband's mother is staying with Rosie and her family. Her girls call her Nana. As I said, Jerko's sister was there, and good husband's girls with their boyfriend and husband. It was just a mishmash of people, young and old, who in some ways loosely connected, but who consider each other family. It was wonderful for me to see my kids around these people whom they've known for so long. I love that my sister-in-law is the type that stayed friends with her ex sister-in-law, and that her husband is the kind of guy that is okay with it. I love my kids knowing that there is this group of people with values and morals, who care what happens to them. I am convinced that my kids are who they are partly because of this stable consistent love and support they have gotten from family who is not Roser and me.