What Was Handed Down

At the gathering after my dad’s funeral, my Aunt Elisabeth shared a little insight about him that just blew my mind.  Apparently, when Dad was a young man and it was time for him to choose a trade, he was encouraged to take up the family business and become a tailor.  But what did he really want to do?  He wanted to learn to be a goldsmith and make jewelry.  My heart nearly stopped beating when she spoke those words.

This revelation both thrills me and makes me incredibly sad.  It certainly helps explain why he was so fascinated by my jewelry work and so supportive of me following my dream.  I wish he would have told me himself.  I’m sure we could have had some interesting conversations on the topic.  It seemed that he never wanted to open a conversation about the past.  Maybe he knew we would ask so many questions, and he wasn’t interested in sharing the answers.  I’ll never know why he didn’t share this connection with me.  I’m happy to learn about it now, and I’ll remember it each time I sit down at my workbench.