Tag Archives: heritage

The Kitchen God’s Wife – Amy Tan

Amy Tan’s writing is rich with beautiful imagery, taking the reader and placing them right in the heart of China. With everything from the words she uses to the way she strings them together, she creates a tale so overflowing with atmosphere, you feel as though you’ve left America and traveled the world in your mind, immersing yourself in a culture rich with tradition and heritage, which may be different from your own but yet welcomes you as a visitor and guest. In “The Kitchen God’s Wife,” we meet mother and daughter, Winnie and Pearl. Pearl is in her forties … Continue reading →

Heritage Albums

Do you know what a heritage album is? In short, it’s an album you make of photos of your ancestors. I did my first one last year. We took a trip the summer before last down to Southern California. While we were there, we dropped in on dh’s dad. We hadn’t seen him in years. Paul’s parents divorced when he was young and he was raised by his stepfather. It was an interesting time as we spent several days there really getting to know them for the first time. Chuck (Paul’s dad) had saved a lot of photos of his … Continue reading →

Naming, Claiming, and Letting Go

Naming our children is a very personal decision for all of us. My own parents preferred to think of new names, rather than naming their children after family. However, my husband and I gave our first child (our birth son) one name related to my family heritage and another after a recently deceased relative of my husband’s. We planned a girl’s name at that time also—a first name I had always thought was beautiful, and a middle name which was Charles’ mother’s, grandmother’s and sister’s middle name. When we adopted, many of the Asian language names sounded strange to our … Continue reading →

Knowing Your Racial Heritage

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Everyone wants to know their racial heritage. For most of us, it’s something that we never had to think about. We could look in the mirror and at the rest of our family and get a pretty good idea as to where we came from. Many adopted children do not have this luxury. Some never knew either one of their biological parents. Others know just one, usually their birth mother. If that parent is racially mixed, then the child knows very little about their personal ancestry. Intermarriage has surged in the last number of years and today there are a … Continue reading →

The Wishing Jar — Penelope J. Stokes

It was just a white ceramic jar with a phoenix painted on the side, but the old peddler woman told Gracie Quinn that it was a magic jar, a wishing jar. All she had to do was lift the lid and make a wish, and it would come true. Gracie didn’t believe the fable, but bought the jar anyway. There was something about that beautiful bird that called to her. As Gracie grew older, she passed that jar down to her daughter, who in turn passed it on. Along with the jar came the legend of the phoenix, a mighty … Continue reading →

The Amethyst Heart — Penelope J. Stokes

As my third and final selection to commemorate September 11th, I have chosen “The Amythest Heart” by Penelope J. Stokes. Set in the deep south, it focuses on the lives of men and women who lived through the Civil War and the things they did to improve the world around them, and how that legacy passed on down through the generations. Today is Miss Amethyst Noble’s ninety-third birthday, and she has baked a coconut layer cake to celebrate. Donning a lavender dress and her amethyst broach, she goes downstairs to meet her family: sullen and unstable Conrad, his flighty wife … Continue reading →

Keeping a Journal

When we think about literacy, we often think of having the ability to read. What is just as important, although not as commonly thought about, is the ability to write. We give our children a valuable gift when we keep a journal. Our thoughts and feelings, written down to be treasured, can be read by them when they are having a hard time, and they can be comforted by seeing how we endured our trials. When our children see that we were nerds in school or we didn’t get asked to the prom or we didn’t get on the football … Continue reading →

The Three Weeks: Remembrance and Mourning

The period between the 17th of Tammuz and the 9th of Av on the Jewish calendar is referred to as “The Three Weeks.” This period commemorates the time when the Romans invaded Jerusalem until the destruction of the HolyTemple in 70 CE. The First Temple was destroyed on the same day (the 9th of Av), and many tragedies in Jewish History occurred during this time. The three weeks is considered to be a time of mourning. It is customary to refrain from listening to music (except if we are putting on a tape or CD for children), buying new clothing … Continue reading →

Celebrate Pioneer Day

Pioneer Day is July 24th. Whether or not you had any ancestors who crossed the plains in search of religious freedom, better farmland, or even gold, this month is a great time to remember the many men, women, and children, who made the long trek across the plains to settle the west. So take some time this month to celebrate the pioneers. Share Pioneer Stories Pioneer stories are a great way to share the pioneering spirit with your children. Many stories are faith promoting; others express the dangers of pioneer life, while some are humorous. If you had ancestors who … Continue reading →

Heritage Photos: Creating Albums

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Once you have your heritage pictures sorted, then you need to decide what types of albums you would like to create using your heritage items. Here are a few of my ideas for smaller theme albums that would be fun to create and give you more focus when putting the album together. Christmas through the Years. You could pull all of the Christmas photos you have and build an album focusing on your family’s Christmas traditions. It would be fun to include a page at the end of the album celebrating the things that your family does now. Focus on … Continue reading →