Keeping It In The Family

I've mentioned my Mom's Mom, my Grammy Connie several times in my Blog. She was a pretty amazing woman. I remember visiting her townhouse near Boston when I was a little girl and being told this crazy story about this giant Jade Tree that she kept on her second floor landing. I can't remember all of the details, but the gist of the story was that the plant had belonged to my great grandmother, Carrie Josephine Kingman and that it was one really OLD plant. Carrie Josephine was my Grammy's mother, so I guess she felt a responsibility to keep the thing alive. Either that or it just wouldn't die.

Any way, When Grammy got Alzheimer's and was moved into a nursing home, my mom ended up with some of the Jade tree. I guess it was probably divided up between family members. My mom was very proud of her little Jade plant. I didn't quite understand the attachment at the time. I was in high school and had more important things to think about. The plant thrived which was a good thing, because keeping house plants alive was not really my mom's thing. Needless to say it got watered sporadically.

So, move ahead 30 years and now my mom has developed Alzheimer's. she's been living in a nursing home for about 3 years. My dad has been doing a bang up job taking care of everything, including the Jade plant. When he came to visit for Christmas one of the gifts he brought me was a piece of "the plant".

I wasn't quite sure what to do with it. Following in my mom's footsteps, keeping house plants alive is not really my thing either. I have to admit that I have been extremely worried about this huge responsibility. After all, we are talking about a piece of a plant snipped from a plant that is over 100 years old. It's a family heirloom and now it's living at my house. Do you understand where I'm coming from? Part of me was sure that the thing would be dead before Valentine's Day. Guess what? It's not. It actually seems to be doing quite well. It's making new leaves and I think it's growing. I'm still not so sure how I feel about it. Some days I walk past it and smile thinking about all of the wonderful woman in my family that have tended to it and other days it makes me sad. Just too many memories. I think that my mom would be glad that I've stepped up to the plate. It's my turn now as well it should be.

I'm hoping that my dad will give Grace a piece of mom's plant too. My shoulders are only so big.

Sally