The Pick, Part II

My niece came by yesterday and I gave her, her Great Grandmothers wedding band. She didn’t know she was getting it and the look of total surprise was nice to see. She got my talk about tradition, and hoping one day she would pass it down to my grandniece, her daughter. I also gave her something I typed up awhile back. It was a story I called My Sister’s Ring. Of course the story had changes in it because I don’t refer to my mother as Fmom around the house, but essentially it was the same. After my niece got through reading the story, Fmom took off her finger the exact ring I was talking about in the story and told my niece that she wanted her to have it. This surprised me because I didn’t know Fmom was going to do this, and I know how much Fmom cherishes that ring and the memories it brings back of my sister. During all the surprises I think my niece came to see a part of me that she didn’t know existed. Usually when she’s around we wise crack at each other and nothing is too serious. But I think she saw what the family and traditions mean to me.

Last night my niece called Fmom and they talked for about two hours. I myself don’t see how anyone can stay on a phone that long, but some do. When they finished I asked Fmom what my niece said. She said just a normal talk, but that my niece must have told her 500 times to thank me for the ring during the conservation. I know she was also thanking Fmom for my sister’s ring.

I don’t know, but maybe I did make an impression on my niece about tradition. She told Fmom that she would be wearing the wedding band along with her wedding band from now on, and that her daughter would know and one day would receive this ring.

Of course we don’t know how the future will go, but I hope that with each new generation this ring will continue to mean to them, now what I know it means to my niece and me.