Heritage

We are in the midst of packing boxes and sorting things into piles of keep, throw, donate, and why did I ever buy this.  We are opening closets, finding mostly dust and dryer sheets stuck to mismatched socks, but also the occasional glimpse into history.  Newspaper clippings, cherished letters and cards, and pictures of people who I will never get to meet but I know they are important anyway.  Tonight, I sat on the floor and stuffed bags for Goodwill, and memorized the names of the siblings of K's grandma tonight.  There were 13 of them and now there are two.  From those 13, well, there's a whole lot and trust me, after putting together addresses for our wedding, I know most of them now. 

It's important to know who's who and who belonged to who.  Not just because I want to send Christmas cards to the right person next year, but because it's his family and now I'm his family.  And he's mine, so in turn, they're mine as well.  There comes a sense of responsibility when you get married.  I guess that's one of the biggest things to experience.  A responsibility to be present, to be aware, and to be grateful for the history and the culture of your love's family. 

At the same time, K hails from a large family but was raised by a single mom away from that family.  His mom grew up around a lot of people and he had that experience only on visits.  It was, for the most part, just them.  And, that is part of his history too.  So, as I sat on the floor tonight packing why did I ever buy this clothing into donation bags, they started to compile what they needed for the next phase in their life.  Away from Pennsylvania, and onward to Seattle. 

In between packing, we start to say good-bye.  A good-bye that is difficult for myself as well.   We started our relationship a long time ago, but we formed it in PA.  Several parts of PA, parts that we won't be able to reach out and grab once we move.  These parts will always be important to us and crucial to who we are as a couple.  We'll find new parts in Washington, but little bits of our heart will always remain behind in PA. 

This week, we travelled to Pittsburgh for an overnight stay.  It was mostly to watch hockey, which we did very well, but quietly it was to say good-bye to the place that K considers his hometown.  This city is the core of his soul.  The people, the culture, the sports, the taste, the style, the air of the city is what he is all about.  I love Pittsburgh because I love my husband. 

So, we drove around to all of our old stops.  We whispered our farewells in our heads and decided not to look in the rearview window because it would sting.  He showed me a couple of new places, kind of the last hoorah as tour guide for the time being. 

When I moved here, I was heartbroken and desperate for a glimpse of home.  I started blogging because I wanted to push myself to find Seattle wherever I was.  Once we move,  we will start to look for slices of K and his heritage in my fine city.  We will search for the loudest Steeler bar (readers, they are everywhere), scout Polish shops for purple hued horseradish, ask deli butchers if they have kishka, put welcome candles on our windowsills, and travel to Vancouver anytime the Pens play the Canucks.  We will wear the same tshirt every Sunday during football season and we will always have one foot in the great Commonwealth somehow.  We will find Pittsburgh in Seattle and wherever we go.