My great-grandmother, a woman whose strength resided in quiet places, was the original owner of the necklace. She was calm, intelligent, and committed to her family; she was the type of person who showed love by being consistent but hardly expressed her emotions. She wore the necklace every day as something grounding, almost like armor, rather than as a piece of jewelry. As she prepared meals, did laundry, and carried concerns she never fully expressed, it leaned on her chest till the moment she passed. Before she passed, she handed it to my grandmother, Claudia, with a glance that said, "Take care of this," rather than a speech.The necklace dates back to the 1940s, a time when objects were chosen carefully and kept for life. It is a thin gold chain holding a small black square pendant. The gold has softened with age, and the pendant is smooth from decades of being touched. It was worn daily, tucked under clothing, and often used as something grounding. When fingers brushed against it during moments of stress, it acted almost like a pause button (or a quiet reminder to breathe). When my great-grandmother passed the necklace down, it went to my grandmother Claudia, and with it came a quiet sense of responsibility. Claudia wore it through the daily routines of life and the moments that tested her most, family dinners, long car rides, holidays, and times of loss when words felt insufficient. She had a habit of holding the black square pendant between her fingers while listening, gently rubbing its smooth surface as if the motion itself brought comfort. 

– GG

Relationship:  Grandchild of im/migrant Grandchild of im/migrant