Nana's Wish

Ginny anxiously stood at the door, waiting for someone to answer. She took in a deep breath and silently counted to 10 while alternating her glance between the small black notebook in her hand and the door. Softly she said to herself, "I'll knock one more time, and if no one answers, I'll leave. Maybe this was a mistake." Ginny repeated the pattern of knocking, counting, and nervously shuffling her feet three times. Just as she turned and started to walk away, Ginny heard the door open and a quizzical "hello."

Ginny gulped and turned to face the person she'd been searching for since reading the mysterious note in the small black notebook hidden in her grandmother's attic nearly a year earlier.

Her mind wandered to that day in the attic. No one in the family had any idea that the sad but routine act of organizing the belongings of a lost loved one would lead to adventure, new family members, and a large sum of money.

Months after procrastinating, Ginny and her cousins decided it was finally time to meet at Nana's house to pack up her things. To everyone's surprise, Ginny took on the attic. Her intense dislike of dark places and bugs had her cousins expecting Ginny to pack up the kitchen or bedroom. But Ginny thought she'd learn more about her beloved Nana by going through the treasures in the attic. Never had her intuition been more accurate than that day!

After climbing the steps to the attic, Ginny looked at it all and thought, "where to start?!" She inhaled deeply and dove right in. The day turned into a sentimental trip through the decades of Nana's life. In the first box, she found an old pink toy tea set. It had a silhouette, kind of like a cameo on the side of the cups and teapot. During an Internet search, Ginny later discovered the girl on the teacups had been wildly famous when Nana was a girl. Her name was Shirley Temple. Box after box revealed more about a life filled with love and secret adventures. Vintage clothes, memorabilia from trips around the world, and family keepsakes were just a few of the things that caught Ginny's eye and distracted her from her real mission of eliminating items to prepare the house for sale. But it was a surprise find that altered Ginny's life in ways she couldn't have anticipated.

At the bottom of a box of scarves and wraps was an embroidered handkerchief. Ginny traced her finger along the beautifully stitched flowers and scalloped edges. To her surprise, the handkerchief was wrapped around something. She unfolded the delicate cloth to reveal a small black notebook. "Nana, what were you hiding?" As Ginny thumbed through the pages, the words on one of the pages made her stop. It read, "I would love nothing more than to see all three of my children reunited." What?! Nana had two children, and they were frequently together at family functions.

Ginny immediately called her dad, John, to ask if he knew about the notebook or Nana's entry. He told her he didn't, and maybe the notebook belonged to another family member because his mother did sometimes keep the mementos of loved ones who'd passed away. "Remember, Nana was very sentimental," said John. That did not satisfy Ginny's curiosity, so she called her Aunt. Sometimes being the oldest in the family meant Aunt Billie was aware of things that even her brother didn't know. Her Aunt told her they should meet for lunch the following day. Curiosity fully piqued, Ginny said yes and planned to meet Aunt Billie at their favorite sushi spot. "All three of my children …" Did Nana have another family and hide it from us our whole lives?!

As usual, Ginny arrived early, and her Aunt glided in late, looking glamorous and oblivious to the time. As Aunt Billie approached, Ginny got up to greet her with a hug. They knew the menu by heart, so they waived a server over as they took their seats. "Ginny and Billie, good to see you," said the waitress cheerily. As she walked away, Ginny leaned in and got right down to business.

"Ok, Aunt Billie, what do you know about this notebook and Nana's third child?" "Well, I don't know about a notebook exactly, but I do know about our sibling. That was a great sadness for mom." Ginny thought she'd heard wrong. Ok, the note did seem obvious, but she didn't believe it was real or, at the very least, not written by her Nana.

Ginny sat and listened while over their sushi lunch Aunt Billie explained how Nana had been married before meeting Ginny's grandfather. It was a brief marriage when Nana was very young. They'd had a child, but in a rare case in that day, Nana's ex-husband had won custody and also blocked all contact between mother and child. Nana never saw her daughter again.

"This sounds crazy! How do you know about this, but my dad doesn't?" "Mom shared it with me in confidence when her health started failing. I didn't think it was my place to tell, but when you called me about the notebook, I thought it was a sign from her that it was ok," said Aunt Billie.

"Well, there's more," said Ginny. "Like what," asked Aunt Billie. "I didn't tell you everything I read in the notebook because I thought it was fake. There's an inheritance for her long-lost daughter. I need to find her … for Nana." Aunt Billie looked shocked and exclaimed, "an inheritance?!"

Ginny told her Aunt how the notebook included a detailed list of deposits in a savings account Nana had kept for her firstborn over the years. She'd managed to save $20,000, and although she knew it wouldn't make up for missing her daughter's life, she hoped the gift would let her daughter know that her mother never stopped loving or thinking about her. The only clues Ginny were Nana's maiden name, the child's first name, and the state where the baby was born. Those were pretty great clues to start an investigation.

Ginny began searching and submitting requests for state records for birth certificates and custody decrees. Sometimes, it took months to get responses, and not all of her family was happy with her "mission." "That money belongs to us," declared her cousin John Jr. He didn't think the family should share Nana's hard-earned money with a stranger. "It's not about the money. It's about reuniting with our family and fulfilling Nana's wish," she'd tell him. Her dad and Aunt Billie were more supportive, although it took her dad a while to get to a supportive place. John was hurt by his mother's secret and the fact that she hadn't told him herself.

Now, here stood Ginny facing the person she'd been searching for, and she wasn't sure what to do or say. There were some wrong turns along the way, but as soon as she saw this woman's face, Ginny knew this woman was her Aunt, her Nana's firstborn child, Elizabeth. Tears welled in her eyes, and the woman looked very confused.

"Are you Elizabeth," Ginny asked. "Yes, and who are you dear," responded Elizabeth. "Uh … this may sound strange, but I'm your niece," said Ginny. "I beg your pardon," said a still confused Elizabeth.

Ginny watched Elizabeth's face fill with shock, anger, and sadness as she explained about Nana, the notebook, her passing, her wish, and the $20,000. Elizabeth invited her in for tea, and the two chatted for hours.

Elizabeth said she'd been told her mother died, and her father and stepmother raised her. She showed Ginny photos of her children (Ginny's cousins) and said while she was hurt to learn she was robbed of a relationship with her mother, she'd had a wonderful childhood, and her father was very loving. "It would do no good to harbor anger for either one of them now. They were kids and doing their best." Ginny felt an instant connection with this kind woman who reminded her so much of her Nana. They made plans for the whole family to get together.

A short month later, everyone gathered at Nana's house to welcome Elizabeth and her children. Aunt Billie did what Aunt Billie does. She made a huge banner and made way too much food for the occasion. Ginny, her six cousins, her dad, her mom, and her Aunt stood in the backyard holding balloons as Elizabeth, and her children arrived. Ginny thought about the emotional rollercoaster she'd been on since finding Nana's small black notebook. In finding her Aunt Elizabeth, Ginny had found a new connection to her grandmother. Somehow learning Nana was flawed like everyone else made Ginny love her more.

As their new family members emerged from the car, the moment was more emotional than anyone had expected. As Elizabeth, Billie, and John embraced, Elizabeth had a surprise for everyone. "I would like to use the $20,000 from our mother for a family vacation. Let's get to know each other and do what she would have wanted … be a family!" Nana's wish came true.