About a week ago I got a text from my cousin. She had gone to visit her mom after the tragic and unexpected death of her sister. It had been a difficult weeks for many of us, and I hoped the trip would bring some elements of restoration amidst the grief. So I was surprised when the cryptic message of “I have something for you…” appeared on my phone. “Huh,” I thought, “I have no idea what it could be.” My phone dinged, and a picture of my cousin’s hand appeared, holding a little brown box. I tilted my head and thought, “I should know what this is…it looks sorta familiar…maybe I just want to remember…” I am not one for being kept in the dark for too long, after a minute or two of trying to recall if and where I had seen this box, I gave in. “Ok, what is it?”
“It’s your grandma’s recipe box.”
I was stunned, elated and had no words. “What? My grandma’s recipe box? How…I mean what?…my grandma’s recipe box?” As it turns out, my cousin’s mom had been given the box decades ago. Since then, she had parted ways with her first husband, and hence the family. I hadn’t seen her for those same number of decades and had only recently had sent a wave or two to her on a Facebook thread. While there is no doubt more of the story, the short of it, as my cousin recounts is that she (my cousin’s mom) had been given the box and has been holding on to it, “knowing it would be important to someone, someday.” Bless her heart. She has been caring for and holding this box for 50 years. Fifty years. That is one special woman.
I’ll write more at another time about my grandma. I was the grandchild who probably knew her best – at least that is what my aunt says. We lived next door to my grandparents for four years. Those first 1,480 days of daily life with grandma impacted me greatly because even though she died when I was only four, she remains an important figure in my life.
In about a month I am going to see my cousin and she is bringing grandma’s recipe box. This feels important and I am not sure why, but it does. There are probably multiple reasons why, and I look forward to allowing them to emerge. (This also ignites the Nancy Drew in me, because I love solving mysteries.) Meanwhile, I thought I would share the journey with you… more later.
Until next time.
**See updates of recipe experiences on the blog page of the website.
Andrea Tatley 