hand-me-downs


I got my great grandmother's fingernails.  Her name was Dorthy and she loved to listen to 40's swing music; I got that from her, too.

She shared my passion for writing.  A few months ago, I read a piece she wrote when she was in college.  She talked about World War II and what it was like being married to a man in the service.  She talked about things that made me laugh, things that helped me grow closer to her.

My grandparents on my father's side came to America from Italy.  Like many Italians, my Grandma Angela was very animated in her speech.  When she talked, her hands were as important as her mouth.  That's the one thing she and I have in common; I wish I could have known her.

My nose came from my father's mother, Vi Jean, and I hope one day to inherit her strength.  I would enjoy a bit of her tenacity, as well.

My mom's mother has a list of heirlooms that she plans to pass on to me, including some old pictures and a nativity.  The nativity will come out every Christmas and the pictures will hang above my desk in frames.  But the gifts I will hold most dear will be the traits I have had since birth, the daily reminders of my ancestry.

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You are wonderful.