A granddaughter asks her Nonno for a special gift
Last year we received some long awaited, wonderful news; that my daughter, Claudia, was expecting her first child! While preparing her baby’s room, Claudia wished she had some sort of heirloom for her child. As we are a migrant family, we came to Australia with a migrant’s usual limited belongings; clothes and small tokens to remind us of our home. There were no old cots, bassinets or baptism outfits to pass on.
During one of Claudia’s visits with her Nonno, she asked him if he would mind making her a rocking chair – a family treasure that she could pass on to her child. Her Nonno hesitated – he would have to drag himself out of his armchair a little more often than usual – but then agreed and applied himself to the project with his usual focus and determination, drawing on decades of skill to create a beautiful piece.
My beautiful little granddaughter Allegra was born in December and it was with great joy that her great-grandfather saw her being rocked in the chair he made for her – a precious piece of furniture for this new branch of his family in Australia.
Franco
