Facial tissues and hereditary behavior

when we moved it was planned, yet still seemed to be a fast process. It was very overwhelming and based on what I threw away and donated after we arrived, a lot was unnecessary.
It quickly became a joke to see how many partial boxes of puffs facial tissues we could find. There were even partial boxes of facial tissues from hospital stays. We ended up with more partials than rooms in our previously vacated home.  Amazing!

Yesterday while going through the final four or gives boxes in the garage, I found yet another partial box. This made me laugh because puffs have been a huge part of my life. My mother has suffered from a continuous runny nose her whole life so even before she became a grandmother, she was the keeper of the tissues.  We don't call them Kleenex as that is a brand name and mom doesn't like them. Too rough. Puffs are softer and stronger and for someone who has had to carry tissues in every outfit for over 80 years, she's surely the expert.

I don't suffer from the same disorder as my mother but I've certainly picked up a lot of her traits.  Now that it's starting to become more clear that I'm her main source of support, I'm realizing how much she is a part of me, too. I keep napkins in my car, far more than I need. I enjoy creating works of art and comfort from yarn.  I'm sassy and snarky and independent just like she is. She taught me how to stretch a dollar and that "there is no shame in being poor, it's just darned unhandy." If you can't finish a meal, you eat the meat first.  Give 100% to your job but save a part of your heart for yourself for when you have to pick up the pieces. Be generous with money but don't let people drive your car.

As we face the truth of aging, (she is the last sibling alive) our roles are starting to change and I find myself wanting to know more before the info is lost.