The Silver Tree That Ties It All Together
My identity has always meant a lot to me, form my birthdate to zodiac sign and qualities I have picked up throughout my 17 years. It makes me who I am. My heritage also makes me who I am but I’m still trying to figure that out. My parents got divorced when I was five and within a few years they found new partners who they later married. Because of this, I consider myself to have four parents and many backgrounds. My biological parents’ families may have come from Sweden and Russia, so that is actually in my genes, but my stepdad is from the Netherlands and my stepmom is also of Russian descent. Religion has been another place of confusion in my life. My mom and stepdad are Christian and my dad and stepmom are Jewish. In a lot of ways, I identify with neither and both. My mom gave me this Tree of Life pendant as a gift not too long ago, but I feel like I’ve had it my whole life. It means a lot to me. It used to be just about protection and a reminder to cherish life, but it now has become more. It’s about my heritage and how all parts of my family tree fit together to make me who I am.

– Leah S.

Relationship:  Great-grandchild of im/migrant or more Great-grandchild of im/migrant or more