Ancestors

My maternal great-grandfather

The Pagan Experience - Wk 2- October 12: Ancestors. Who are your ancestors? How do you honor them? What will you leave as your legacy as you become the Ancestor?

My ancestors came to America looking for new opportunities. On my father's side of the family, I'm a second generation Italian-American. On my mother's side, a third generation German-American. From what I know of them, my ancestors were the salt of the earth. I don't know anything about my earlier ancestors, but I can only assume that they were artisans and farmers, princes and priestesses.

My paternal grandfather, born in 1900 (Papi), was a polymath - a machinist, electrician, mason, hunter, and dynamite gardener. He came here from our ancestral village, Bonefro, which is in the Abruzzi region of Italy (east of Rome). He was an inventor, perhaps what people now would call a Maker - our property was full of interesting little tools that he created and things he modified or improved. Because of him, our family homestead was immaculately landscaped and full of quirky modifications that weren't always pretty, but always worked well. My grandmother, born in 1906 (Nani), was a quiet woman, and many said that she was totally senile. I never believed it. My favorite memories of her are sitting with her out in the yard under the hemlock tree or cooking in the kitchen. She rarely spoke, but I always felt that we communicated just fine. By the time I was sentient, she had seen a lot of life. My opinion is that she was done talking about it.

Paternal family, early 1900's?

My maternal great-grandfather (Opa), also born in 1900, was a train engineer at one time. He told me stories of life on the rails in Yugoslavia. We were part of that group of Germans called Donauschwaben, which were settlers sent by the Austria-Hungarian Empire to live in the Balkans in the late 1700s. They were called boat people, or people of the Danube, because they migrated on boats down the Danube (Donau) River. He came to America when Serbian Nationalists incited the conflict that led to World War I. Over here, he did many things, among them working at the Yuengling beer factory. He was also a great cook - he taught me how to make blintzes, dumpling soup and other tasty things. Perhaps he learned to cook because my great-grandmother died young. I never got a chance to know her.

So these three people - my maternal great-grandfather and my paternal grandparents, they were a big force in my early life. All were born right around 1900, all migrated here from Europe due to turbulence of one shape or another. All lived through difficult times. All of them lived without electricity and running water for a portion of their lives. They taught me so many things, and I honor them by remembering their stories, practicing the skills they taught me and by having pride in our heritage.

Here are some things I learned from my ancestors:

1. A small glass of wine a day keeps the doctor away, as long as you eat an apple too. (Opa)
2. Everybody should know how to garden. (Papi, champion giant vegetable grower)
3. Always compliment the cook and make it sincere! (Nani, amazing cook)
4. Pasta and milk cool the mouth from hot peppers. (Nani and man, is there a good story here)
5. Dean Martin and all Italian crooners are the best kind of music. (Papi, who had homemade outdoor loudspeakers)
6. Take a walk every day. (Opa, who did so until he was 89)
7. The early bird gets the best treasures on the seashore. (Aunt Marge, champion beachcomber)
8. Wear just as much jewelry as you can fit on your body and don't listen to anyone who says no. (Aunt Marge, notorious Black Hills gold collector)
9. Strangers are just friends you haven't met yet. (Dad, who talked to *everyone* we met)
10. Everybody has a story, including the animals. (Dad, master storyteller)
11. Making is better than buying. (basically every relative of mine ever)
12. Family, la dolce vita and tradition are the most important things. (Nani, Papi & Aunt Marge)
13. The outdoors is a wondrous place to be enjoyed and lived WITH, not feared or dominated.
14. Have reverence and respect when you hunt, and only kill to eat. (Dad, aka the Deerslayer)
15. Don't waste anything, ever. Reduce, reuse, recycle. (again, every relative ever)

My colorful immigrant ancestors taught me many things about self-reliance, living with the land, and the importance of family, but they also taught me about America. They believed in the American Dream - this is a place where you can do anything, be anything. It takes hard work, but it can be done. I also feel grateful that they all believed that preserving culture and taking pride in heritage is important, but being part of this place is also important. 

As far as my own legacy, well...I'm a little bit young to discuss that in depth. I hope to leave this Earth in a little better shape than I found it in. I hope to have improved the lives of many more people before I depart this plane. I hope that people fondly remember me and say "she believed in me and encouraged me when no one else did". I hope to leave behind a great work, a body of writing and art and poetry and music that makes you think and laugh and cry and then take a long walk to think about it. Above all, I hope I make my beloved ancestors proud.