Inheritance

Dear Annette,

Happy birthday! I can’t believe you’re 16 today! You’ve become such a kind, passionate, and perceptive human being. I couldn’t be more proud of you. That’s why I’m passing on this gift to you. It’s a family secret. Not even your father knows! I don’t really need it anymore, and you’ve more than earned it.

Have I piqued your curiosity? Well, don’t open it just yet. Because I still need to tell you the story of how I got it and what exactly it does. You know how I always told you that I got everything I needed in life by connecting with people and helping others? That’s mostly true. But I couldn't have done it without what's hiding within the wrapping paper.

Yes! Ok! I'll stop torturing you now. You know how I used to go stay with Auntie La in the summers growing up? You know, the one with the tiny house and huge garden? Well, something happened the first year I stayed with her. And since she doesn’t have any kids to pass it on to, she told the secret to me.

To make a long story much shorter, Auntie La had a dog, Cloud. She was a Great Pyrenees, enormous and white and fluffy. She would let me braid flowers into her long, silky fur, and she slept curled at the foot of my bed. I loved that dog.

That summer, Cloud got sick. She needed surgery, but Auntie La couldn’t afford it. She was $600 short. I said I wished I had that money so Cloud could get better.

Auntie La came into my bedroom that night and gave me this old, battered little black notebook. She told me to write my wish in the notebook - how much I wanted and what I wanted it for - and to sleep with it under my pillow that night. There were only a handful of pages left at the end. I found the first blank space and wrote my wish.

The next day we went to the mall to get Cloud some special food. We were eating lunch in the food court and a boy taps me on the shoulder and hands me an envelope. There was a game show going on in the food court and he had won it. When the presenter asked if he wanted to keep the envelope or give it to someone else, he saw me looking sad and decided to give it to me. The envelope had $600 in it!

You know how I always tell you I’ve known Uncle Wyatt forever and we were practically brother and sister? Well, we first met when he gave me that envelope. After that we hung out every summer and wrote letters during the year. Cloud got her surgery and lived for another 8 years. And Auntie La told me the secret of the notebook.

I’ve been using it ever since. It works for anything, as long as it's not selfish. That’s why Auntie La can’t use it anymore. She wanted to follow her girlfriend to Hawaii after they broke up. On further reflection, she told me, her girlfriend was right to break off the relationship. Following her wouldn’t have helped anyone, and the notebook stopped working for her after that.

That’s the secret to the notebook: it will work as long as whatever you ask for helps someone. And Annette, my dear, always remember that you also count as someone. It took me most of my life to learn that.

Growing up, I only used the notebook to help others. A friend from school who didn’t have the money for a holiday dinner. A single mother down the street who lost her job and struggled to get a new one because no one wanted to hire an immigrant. My own mother, when my father started drinking and beating her up.

The money always came when I asked for it, though often in unexpected ways. While I was still in school, I’d get random prizes for being a good student, or even anonymous notes left in my locker. Later on, strangers would give me money or I’d find a hundred dollar bill stuck between two stones on an abandoned street. One time I made $824 busking at a farmers market!

I never told any of them that the money came from me. I would type a note and put it with the money so they knew it wasn’t a mistake. It always made me so happy to see their joy.

It wasn’t until I was nearly out of college that I started thinking of using the notebook to help achieve my own dreams. That’s when I first had the idea to create Refugio. A refuge for women like my mother, victims of domestic abuse, and for their children. As you know, we allow men in as well, as long as they uphold our community standards. But it was always more about the women. I wanted to create a place that was eco-friendly and full of creativity and laughter. I couldn’t stop thinking about it.

I called Auntie La and spoke with her for a long time. We decided that since my dream was still in service to others, I should try it, but maybe step by step. The next day I got a tip for $276 from my waitressing job. I used it to fix my car so I could find the perfect place.

It took me a year to find the right piece of land. A beautiful 20 acres in the lushest part of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains in New Mexico. It cost $15,000, a total bargain, but also the largest amount I had ever asked for.

I was so nervous that it took me two days to set pen to paper. The next day, I got a call from a wealthy woman who had heard about what I wanted to do. She herself was an abuse survivor, and she wrote me a check the same day. She has been our primary patron ever since.

I only used the notebook once more. You were born early and needed extensive care. And look at you now!

I haven’t needed it since. The $20,000 it brought into my life over the years was more than enough. And if there’s one thing I've learned from building and running Refugio, it's that when we work together women are capable of anything.

So now I pass this notebook and its secret on to you. There are only a few pages left, so use it wisely. I used to go through and look at all the wishes of our ancestors, and it seems that each generation uses it less. Maybe because we’ve run out of room. Or maybe because the notebook is teaching us something. I'll let you draw your own conclusions.

With all my love,

Mom