Great Grandma's communion purse...

So, here it is. While I was reorganizing my basement (in what seemed like a never-ending task) I came across this little purse that brought back childhood memories for me and again, made me wish I had learned the needlearts crafts from my family memories instead of fumbling along like I did and still am. This adorable little purse was made for me by my non-english speaking Great Grandmother (she was straight from Sicily). She barely spoke when I saw her, only really said my name, "Christina," when I saw her but there was something about her that I found calming. She was a real matriarch and unfortunately, with her death, died the idea of matriarch in our family. She crocheted this little purse for me for my 1st Holy Communion and at the time, I knew it was really special, b/c she had made it, but also b/c she was really old when she did (I wonder how old she really was at the time, but as a kid, I remember her being "really old.") It is adorable with a little rosette sewn in the center, and it is lined in white cotton. I remember when I got it, my mother telling me that it was really special and that I had to take extra good care of it. I'm shocked that I still have it and very thankful that I do, b/c unfortunately, I had and still have a HUGE tendency to be absent-minded and lose things. Thank goodness, this little purse was spared of my faults.
When I look at this purse, it makes me think back to that day of communion-I was so excited to wear my little veil and fancy dress and my mom was going to curl my hair like some lady named Farah Fawcett, and I was going to have tissues and a dollar in my purse for church. I also think about how my great-grandma knew how to both knit and crochet and what skills she had and how all of my older aunts and my grandma could knit/crochet ANYTHING and I never thought to ask them to teach me. I so wish I had...
Someday, I'm going to teach my daughters how to knit/crochet and someday they are going to thank me for that-not that I need that. But hopefully, they will grow to love creating things with sticks and string as much as their mommy does. Someday too-in the next few years, my daughters will use this cute little purse for their Holy Communions and they will know to "take extra special care of it" b/c their great, great grandma made it for them.