Functionally disfunctional

I have a strange family compared to many others I know. The Steinberger clan (that's mom's side of the family) is close, yet we speak with one another rarely and see each other even less often. My cousin Amy called me today and, as always, it was great to hear her voice. Like me, Amy knows that, no matter how much time passes between calls, we're still family and will always love one another. Amy and I, and the rest of our immediately family for that matter, are not so good at keeping in touch. We're pretty bad about remembering each others' birthdays. We sometimes call on holidays, sometimes not. We often don't communicate directly for months, or even years at a time. The beauty of this system is that we never wear out a welcome; we never get sick of or irritated with each other. Because we aren't meddling constantly in each others' lives, we not only continue to love each other, but actually like each other. It works for us.
Of course, regardless of how well oiled the family machine seems to be, it would all grind to a screeching halt without its most crucial component: Lorna. My aunt Lorna is the glue that keeps us all stuck together, regardless of how much distance and time pulls us all apart. If we have been typically lax about keeping in touch, we can always count on Lorna to keep us up to speed on each others' lives. She writes great letters - long hand - and always remembers birthdays and Christmas. She does it all the old fashioned way, using the US Postal Service. So just when we start thinking the only mail we're every going to get any more is bills and adds, along comes a card with a note from Lorna. There may even be some photos enclosed. Lorna truly rocks!