Making an Heirloom

When Grandma died almost 20 years ago, we cleaned out her house, dividing up her possessions among her children and grandchildren. Some things were assigned per her request and others to meet the needs we had, which were as varied as our ages and life stations.

Then there were the things that everyone wanted: namely anything with her handwriting in it. The item I remember generating the most discussion was her recipe book. The book we knew she'd used as she stood in that little galley kitchen, whipping up the deliciousness of every holiday and family birthday gathering.

Unless we went the Solomon-inspired route of ripping the book up and giving pieces to everyone, only one person could have it. And so it went to Mom, and I made photocopies of Grandma's distinctive script from the pages of the book.

You don't really think about things like that, I suppose. Things like two daughters and five granddaughters wanting to hold onto a piece of your handwriting while using it in their own kitchens to carry on your traditions.

Last winter, when Ryan and I did our Christmas shopping, I happened upon a stack of these cookbooks in TJ Maxx.

And it came to me: we would make memories, this family of mine, while we could. We would share our recipes and our handwriting and each of our homes would hold a piece of each other and though we might be wildly separated by age and miles, we would be together inside the red cover of this book.

We bought a copy for each household and I presented the idea. For this past year, my mom, my sisters, my niece and I have been writing and mailing, writing and mailing, writing and mailing. We've been picking from our favorite recipes and preserving them within the pages so we all have a chance to cook from each other's kitchens.

It's the first time we've met on the level cooking field of adulthood. Some of us love cooking, some of us don't. Some of us have been doing it forever, others are brand new. But we all have something to contribute. We all have recipes that are ours and we have all shared them with each other.

I love this book so much. I love flipping through each page and recognizing familiar handwriting and knowing it's preserved for each of us. I love knowing I can try new things that others in my family love and call their own. Though I know at times they were all tired of writing and mailing, writing and mailing, I'm glad we did this project this year. I'm glad we made an heirloom on purpose.