Lovely story! Thank you for sharing the experience you had with your grandmother. This reminds me of the years of good memories I've had with my Czech grandmother, Emily, who is now nearing 101. When I was a freshman in college, she called me and asked what my favorite color was. Not knowing the context, I was touched when two weeks later, I received a purple afghan that she knit to keep me warm on cold Vermont nights. Nearly 20 years later, I still use it almost every day and am reminded of her love and old family traditions. It's these thoughtful gifts that mean the most!
Being raised by my wonderful grandparents, this story hit home. I literally cried as I read your story, and I don't even know why. I guess I just love grandparents and plants that much. I am really inspired by this story. The last thing, please tell me that your Ficus set root and survived.
2
Writing to you from Singapore - this story touched me so very deeply. I could just see and imagine all the little details you talked about in your story, and your grandmother is just so inspiring, as is your writing. It doesn't just apply to a migrant journey, but to life in general. For me, it shows that one is never too old to learn or do something, if they just set their hearts to do it. I adore her independence. Thank you.
1
I condsider myself one of the lucky ones who had the chance to meet your very exceptional grandmother. I didn't know about the Ficus, but oh how the story rings true. This special brand of people, from the pale of the Austro-Hungarian empire, who yearned for freedom and liberty and yet kept their humanity while trying to realize their dream are so rare. More often than not destroyed by power hungery colleagues who usuarped the organizations that spawned them all. Indeed I was very fortunate to have known her.
2
I’m not sure what type plant I took from my 96 year old Polish ‘alien’ grandmother’s house after she died in 1969. She came to America in the late 1890s, married and had 7 children. After her husband died she lived alone (at her request) for 25 years. My roommate had a green thumb and cared for the plant in Brooklyn and later New Jersey, Utah and Washington state. Sometime in the 90s she came to visit me in NJ and brought a cutting. I kept it alive but rather than transport it in the car to Arizona, gave it to a coworker who liked plants. I regret not taking that piece of my grandmother with me but hope it will continue to prosper.
1
Ahh this is so lovely. You paint the sweetest images with your words. I could picture your grandmother's apartment perfectly. I enjoyed so very much how your grandma planted roots and became an active part of the community. I'm envious of people from other worlds who can do it so deftly, and yet some of us New York transplants who grew up in America still don't know the person who lives across from us in our own building.
Great writing. I enjoyed every word of it.
5
I agree with Hannah from New Zealand, this made me cry. It’s not about the clinical rooting attributes of the ficus, it is the wonderful spirit of the story!!
3
I enjoyed the story — it reminded me of my mother getting a plant cutting from a friend she visited in England. My mother had the plant for years, even after her elderly friend had passed away. My sister and I each have its vegetative offspring as our mother is now gone. A living memorial!
2
Your grandma somehow made it work for her but I didn’t think it was fully. Uprooting older people isn’t a good idea. Would you do the same thing and go back to Romania at the age of 80? Cmon!
From the sound of her grandmother, if she hadn't wanted to go, I doubt that they could have forced her..... Sometimes there are other circumstances that cause surprising changes... From the sounds of what she had already survived, this was one tough cookie... And I loved the story of how she kept her independence..... I hope to be so lucky...
1
individuals who are 65 years and older only have to study 20 questions except the usual 100!
Thank you so much for sharing -- now I have to continue that sharing and make certain others get to read this too. What an inspiration!
3
So beautiful. This made me cry.
3
Your friend is wrong about ficus. There are few plants that are better at rooting clones.
But it's a nice sentiment, I guess.
1
OI! This is how we lose so many native plant and animal speciaes. People , lonely for signs of home, bring their beloved pest=er pets with them. Remember how rabbits came to Austraia? An englishman who was deperate to see the bunnies, had some brought to him down under. A few , escaping and breeding, almost took over the entire continent. Germ warfare had to used to kill them finally. Cats, too were brought to keep granny company and keep down the , until whites, came, non existent rats and mice.
Now it is considered a duty or a an act of a good citizen to "shoot a cat today"as they kill and eliminate millions of the lovely and cat-ignorant birds of Australia. The red workms found in mud or sand up and down the coast here were brought in dirt used as ballast in ships coming to the Virginia colony.
Our masterful St Lawrence Seaway opened up a route so freighters could steam into Canada and American midwestern cities. They then dumped all sorts of monster animals fish and snails in the Great Lakes, and we are still trying to eliminate them but will probably fail. It can easily begin with a leaf in someone's pocket.
3
Thank you for this. It reminds me of the hibiscus clippings my grandmother brought back (through airport agricultural checks) from visiting relatives in the Caribbean in the 70s. She gave my mother some of the clippings. That clipping, now known as The Hibsicus Tree, though trimmed several times, is in a huge planter and now in my house.
There were many things I could not take from my parents' house, but there was no question that The Hibiscus Tree wouldn't make the trip.
1
Just lovely..
2
Grampa brought a fig tree from SIcily.
4
Wonderful!
6
Great story.
This is a very European concept (smuggling plants or "reminding objects" on planes). On a return trip from Sicily I heard two older women outside the airport telling a similar story about hiding a "special type of plant from home" in a coat pocket.
1
what a wonderful story, and a grand woman! the lesson is....keep living. go forward, and you're never too old to change, or have adventures.
9
I am unmoved by this woman’s act of breaking logical US agricultural restrictions. Such acts harm Americans and cause Billions in damage yearly. Invasive Med fly brought to California and beyond caused Billions in losses. Emerald Ash borer still brings $25+ Billion per year in losses to our beautiful East coast Ash trees, etc.
6
Plant pests such as kudzu and multiflora rose were brought to the USA by the Department of Agriculture. Farmers were encouraged to plant kudzu (the vine that covers the south) as cattle forage and erosion control, and multiflora rose as living hedge (mature plants need a tractor to yank the roots out of the ground.) After a decade or so birds decided multiflora rose hips were good to eat, and new plants are disseminated by birds, complete with a handy dandy little fertilizer package. Ficus (not the same as fruit bearing fig) cannot survive outdoors in New jersey.
2
This essay touched me deeply...especially at this time when our country is so polarized about immigration. We need to remember most of us came from somewhere else and now we are Americans.
8
This is a person who decided to go the route of legal documentation and immigration, and took the time and years to do so, while running away from a Romanian dictator.
There is no comparison to undocumented immigrants. Please have them stay, but please do it legally. Then we will celebrate their addition to our great experiment called the USA.
The young children who were brought from Mexico to the United States by their parents had no say in the matter... And the children did nothing illegal....
Being from Texas, I have known several "Dreamers", and I consider them full fledged Americans.
There still is no easy path to citizenship for people from Mexico.... And again, the so-called "Dreamers' are innocent. Why do you want to punish someone who is innocent?
Reading this beautiful article brought an avalanche of memories about my recently deceased mom. Like grandma Sima, mom moved to the States from Croatia in her early seventies. She lived with me, helped me raised my daughter and took care of the house, yard, cat and dog. She became a US citizen at age 82, and was upset that the INS official did not asked her harder questions ( she knew it all!). She learn English by reading the local newspapers with a dictionary by her side. I miss her daily report of what is going on in our neighborhood and what is going on in our backyard - squirrels fights included.
10
Thank you for sharing your lovely Grandma with us! Amazing Grandma and amazing writing. I agree with her definition of happiness.
10
I'm not quite sure of the name, maybe freestuff or Craigslist, but my daughter in law has gotten some beautiful plants from people who dearly love their plants, but have to find new homes for them when they move or for some other reason. I Imagine for some gentle souls it's like leaving a beloved pet.
Thank you for the beautiful essay.
6
Wonderful feel good story. Made my day.
2
My grandmother brought raspberry and blackberry bushes twigs from Niva Scotia to start a whole garden of tasty treats that I always enjoyed as a child.
4
I’ve lived around many immigrants that were resettled here after WWII from the refugee resettlement programs. Dutch farmers, Romanian doctors, Jewish professors. All raised kids that I went to school with, worked with and they went on to became professionals in their fields. Engineers, doctors, construction company owners. All paid taxes and helped make this country what we have today. The greatest there is. You never know where the next Mozart, Einstein or Elon Musk will come from. It would be shameful to shut out hard working, talented and ambitious Americans.
10
Wonderfully written.
2
I LOVED this! It made my day -
17
Yes, it made my day as well. A wonderfully written story - Namaste
I am moved to tears on this dreary Monday morning in January. Thank you.
18
wonderful story. In 1923 my wifes grandmother and mother came to Ellis Island from Italy. Her grandmother had a cutting from a Rose of Sharon tree from their property in Italy. In our back yard today we have a Rose of Sharon that is a descendant of that same tree - 95 years later.
10
This is very strange...my dad brought the same plant about 20 years ago, from Macedonia, and it is still producing figs. I am hoping to one day do the same with my kids! I just hope my kids have your grandmothers' and parents' work ethic, one thing that they always preached was, rabota.
8
So, this woman never worked one day in the US, never paid one cent in income taxes or social security, and lived in public housing for TWELVE YEARS at US taxpayers' expense?
GO TRUMP, we need more of your hard work to prevent this!
2
Open your eyes and heart a little wider BB. This lady's children and grandchildren have paid way more in taxes over their work lives than the old woman used up in 12 years of section 8 housing.
15
I guess you didn't read this carefully or, maybe you only consider work outside the home to be work.
12
Golf?
Thank you for the beautiful story. It took me back 25 years when I was just a single 20 year-old man who landed at JFK airport from the Balkans. In many ways, I compare myself to that ficus stalk.
9
Beautiful!
3
I have a 5'foot tall Difenbachia that started as a cutting from a friends overly enthusiastic plant about 25-years ago, My friend died a while ago. But when I see the plant, every day, I think of him. I have given cuttings to others, In small ways beautiful memories are kept. Its been through a half dozen abodes in at least 4-states. It is so precious.
7
How beautiful to recall the devotion of of our wise and loving immigrant Grandmothers at such a heartbreaking time in which Trump and many Republicans are trying to prevent Grandmothers from joining their families ("chain migration!" "Muslims!") in the United States.
30
Thank you for this story Ada.
12
This is also the story of my great-grandparents, although from a different country. They took a gamble and moved to a strange new country, put down roots and prospered.
Puts a different spin on the term 'chain migration', doesn't it,
Donnie? Read it and weep tears of joy for what America stands for. What America used to beckon to other abroad - 'come here to us and be safe, be happy, be free.'
Thanks for a good Monday morning start - even if the day goes down the tubes later, at least for 5 minutes right now, it felt good to be an American (again).
40
What a beautiful story! Thank you so much for telling this. I miss my grandmothers dearly. Though they were born here, their parents were from the old country and they grew up with those same, simple values about what makes a good and happy life.
14
Wow, what a thread, a branch, a running gag, well, you know what I mean. Great piece of writing! We've hauled birthday plants, bulbs, cuttings, all over the country. It's all about story and legacy.
7
Yes. Smuggle in plants illegally. Many a noxious weed or pest has been introduced into the U.S. with devastating consequences for U.S. food or wood producers.
10
Interestingly, many people will tell you that their family's American story began with an ancestor who, when marked for further medical inspection by the doctors at Ellis Island, wiped the chalk triage symbol off their coats and continued through, bringing their infirmities into the U.S. seemingly un-noticed.
4
Illegally? Effects on the "economy" of grandma's ficus cutting? The DELUGE of imported products, container after container into this country with no regulation or inspection, drives that economy, and in fact the United States economy has flourished as a result of introduced species at the expense of nature for the whole get go. And there is no turning that back, so I don't see Grandma as the evil here.
Yes, I am aware of the problems you are concerned with, likewise the Citrus disease growers now face in California, introduced by planned transplanting of citrus from Brazil, or a "backyard grower" smuggling infected cuttings from China...but...introduced species are a fact of all migrations and economies. The first Europeans bringing apples and grain, and weeds. Tumbleweeds came with the grain...In the West, weeds and pests in the 19th and 20th century, came along in the hooves of cattle, and with the date palms, eucalyptus, pepper trees, all considered iconic, but they are all introduced. Wood boring beetles arrived hidden in the billions of wooden pallets from Asia in the 21st century. We are now facing a blight in California which will surely decimate our native willows and sycamores, probably came in on junk wood from Asia. I would posit that the imports of the sentimental, such as my grandmother's Danish rose cuttings, are but a drop in the bucket to the damages wrought by economically driven planned introductions that have back fired.
2
What a beautiful story. Thank you so much for sharing.
8
How many people who want immigrants deported will wail about this woman who has "nothing" to contribute but who is now soaking us for her Section 8 housing allowance. Today a doctor who grew up in the US and has lived here for 40 years legally is being detained for deportation. We, as a country, have lost our minds.
19
They need to go home, they need to NOT sneak things past customs.
2
When your ancestors arrived in America no doubt some people also thought they should go home.
I think it’s important to understand your views because they reflect what a sizable number of people think as well and they shouldn’t be dismissed outright.
But where is home? How long does it take for a person to be “home” in a new country?
5
Marvelous story of live and what America is all about! Would love to have met your grandmother!
10
What a beautiful story of family & faith, both of which are so important in today's crazy world.
9
lovely. thank you for sharing this story with all of us.
5
Amidst all the terrible headlines and awful news stories, this beautiful essay was a much needed antidote to my budding misanthropy. Thank you, Ada Brunstein,.
8
I keep a string of lights on my ficus year around, as I have done for 45 years.
This was a beautiful story in every way. It reminded me of my mom.
7
"along with a black coat and a ficus she brought with her a different world" is precisely why immigrants are so important. I'm so glad your grandma came and so happy you wrote this wonderful essay.
29
What a lovely story, beautifully written.
7
Beautiful story to start the morning. Now your grandmother tends to a ficus that never stops growing, she gets to practise her English for endless days, looking at her street from whatever her housing, she will see people passing by, talking openly on the street.
17
Your grandmother was a wise, wise woman...undoubtedly she knew that a ficus would grow, thrive, and happily make its home almost anywhere...unwittingly or not she imparted great wisdom for all who knew her....
24
Beautiful!!
12
Wow. Off to find a ficus to clip off a branch.
8
Beautiful!
6
This story is a reflection of many senior citizens who emigrate to this country. I have done it myself within US when the family moved around, bringing a twig from the past , to nurture it and see it grow and flourish and experience the happiness it brings.
21
What a great story: a woman who, as she ages, gets a bigger life. Oh, to have known her!
42
Thank you for this heartwarming story. Really brought a smile and warmth to my heart.
14
A beautiful American story full of universal truth- such as the power of old people to show us by example how to age, not just gracefully, but with joy. The main trick is likely being lovingly engaged with other people, especially family.
A good relationship with plants seems to be helpful as well. My question is whether that ficus was actually a fruiting fig? Italians have brought shoots of their favorite fig trees to America for over a century. I have a productive fig tree protected from winter right now that will provide luscious fruit in another 6-7 months.
8
What a beautiful story. Thank you for sharing. How fortunate you are to have had this wonderful woman in your life.
12
Born VE Day May 1945. My mother used to tell me the whole world was cheering on the day I was born. I've always looked at that as an omen. Bless your grandmother's courage, and perseverance. The omen of her Ficus twig. Thank you for sharing, reminding us the importance of playing our family stories forward.
16
What a wonderful story of grit, determination, and love of life and family.
12
An inspiring and beautiful story, thanks for sharing the spirit of your grandmother and her ficus tree. May both your family and the ficus grow and flourish many more generations.
19
Thank you for sharing this beautiful story of family, beauty, and perseverance! You brought my Irish grandmothers back to me. A lovely way to start the week. Http://www.creativesanctuary.net
7
Deeply moving your immigrant Grandmother's "ficus" tale from Romania to New Jersey, to Massachusetts to New York today! Your grandmother kept hope alive. Thank you, Ada Brunstein - we needed your good words today while chaos reigns in Washington, D.C.
26
Pragmatic me is glad that the ficus cutting brought over from Romania didn't harbor any insects, or microscopic eggs, under its leaf.
10
Having traveled frequently I don't even try to bring foodstuffs or wooden things through customs. It doesn't take away from the wonder of this story to advise people to symbolically use plants already here and remember one's ancestors nevertheless. Just this past yr a woman bragged she had brought in heather from Scotland. There is a reason for the regulation.
4
and thankfully not a zebra mussel or asian carp! How did she get that plant through customs!
2
Beautiful! Thank you.
2
Wonderful story.Sad to think if Trump gets his way, grandmothers with no skills,degrees or English will be allowed to come here to join their families.
21
She moved OUT, into public housing! How is that "joining her family"? It is joining the bandwagon of immigrants taking advantage of US taxpayer-funded benefits.
Oh, that is, after smuggling an illegal item past customs.
1
She left Romania and joined her family in the United States. And, as an American citizen, she made use of Section 8 housing to avoid being a burden on her son and daughter-in-law.
In order to becaome a US citizen, she "studied the 100 civics questions nervously for months, knowing she would be asked 10 of them but not knowing which ones. She had to answer six correctly to pass, which she did." Could you do that, BB, you fine upstanding American?
6
Did you mean NOT (as in "will NOT be allowed to come here")?
1
Thanks you for this lovely tale! - Chris
16
What happened to the ficus from your Cambridge apartment--the one that had hit the ceiling? Please tell us it found a new home!
25
Loved this!...beautiful story!
10
Lovely, lovely remembrance. How fortunate the author is to have had personal experience of her grandmother as a courageous old woman facing an entirely new world. I learned much from reading at 84!
49
Beautifully written as always, Ada
5
Nice story!
1
Why didn't you simply take the ficus growing in your Cambridge apartment with you to New York?
7
My first question as well. When I left Los Angeles for my ex-husband's job in Saint Louis, I not only took my dog, bird, and fish, but also some of my most beloved plants while the rest were left under my parents'care. One of the chosen few came to me in the Berkshires as a gingko sapling given in honor of my best friend who had just died. In Saint Louis, though, it grew haltingly in our loft and wasn't happy until my divorce sent me back to Los Angeles in a Saturn station-wagon packed again to the roof with my plant and animal friends (the hardier specimens were shipped well-protected in a moving pod). The gingko is now thriving on my patio, 18 years and 5,000 miles after it came into my life, a sure sign that our roots are here and not back in the land of Ferguson. I adore that tree as we've traveled life and country together. I just couldn't imagine leaving a magnificent tree descended from a now-gone grandmother's marvelous international smuggling operation. I realize it's merely my opinion but there are few good excuses to leave beloved pets or plants behind, especially for such a short-distance move. And before other commenters jump on me: yes, it is a small quibble to point out in such a lovely and inspiring story. But it appears I'm not the only one who was left sadly wondering at the end.
2
Beautiful story! Poetry as a short story.
3
Exceptionally composed. I love this. If I were still teaching, I could use it in the classroom in so many ways. My plants are part of me; my mother and father's possessions are part of me. At 74 I am trying to slowly explain to my daughter where my treasures that she dismisses came from. She adored her grandparents, so she will treasure the objects once she knows. And she will treasure my ficus, which I have been growing for over 20 years. She is about to finish renovation of her grandparent's home where she and her family will live. I shall seek to root from my ficus for her and pass on this story.
29
"My plants are part of me; my mother and father's possessions are part of me"
This.
1
Beautiful read! Thank you for sparkling my own family memories.
3
You plant a seed knowing the tree will outlast you.
34
What a great story! Thank you.
21
Plants hold us together. For some families, the thread is piece of cloth, for some it is jewelry and others some shared item.
Yours is special. It is a living organism that holds generations together. May that Ficus hold many more of your generations together.
59
Wonderful story.
38