Lately, I have been collecting and writing stories about my maternal ancestors. All of my maternal grandparents passed away when I was still quite young. Watching other children with their grandmas made me feel that I had been deprived of this beautiful relationship. I longed for it, even though I don’t think that I truly understood what that longing was. Maybe it was a yearning to connect with the past – to hear the stories that are gathered and/or lost through generations of women, passed down from mother to daughter, through bloodlines and genetic memory, through dreamscapes and experiences.

My mother is a wonderful storyteller, and as a young woman she collected, names, dates, and history about the women in our family, having had the foresight to recognize the importance of remembering. Because of her work and diligence, I can name as far back as my great, great, great grandmother. I’ve done a bit of ancestry research and have been able to trace back no further than the information which she has already been able to provide.  She loves to share stories about her grandmothers whom she was blessed to spend time with as a child.

I have taken her stories and made them my own by embellishing them through creative writing to fill in the missing pieces and fragments of forgotten memory. In this way, I get to experience my grandmothers and help keep their legacy alive. And here, I will share them with you. Stay tuned…