My family and I always joke around that my Nonna loves to hold onto any item for as long as possible. Whether it be an old pair of shoes with the bottoms falling off or thousands of the Chinese food containers that she knows she will never use but likes to have just in case, she just doesn’t throw anything out. This past Christmas we were sitting at the dinner table and my cousin look at Nonna and noticed she was wearing this light blue sweater and said “Nonna! You’ve had this sweater forever why don’t you get a new one!” It was at that moment that this light blue sweater no longer became just a sweater. My Nonna, as well as my mother, immigrated from Ripi, Italy on November 8th, 1969. Nonna grew up on a farm with only a 2nd grade education. The reason she doesn’t throw anything out is because she is used to having very little and taking full advantage of whatever she does have. When coming to America, according to my Nonna, she was wearing this very same sweater. I think back now and realize exactly how many memories I have of Nonna wearing this sweater. She doesn’t throw this sweater out because it’s both a comfort and memory of her true home. This article clothing is one of the few tangible items she has left that came from Italy.

– Vincent Kappel

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