Bev Rossman

In 1973 my husband’s grandmother, Nana Sarah, patiently and lovingly created a sweater and hat for her first great-grandchild to wear when brought home from the hospital. Into each stitch she knit her hopes and dreams for his or her future and the wish that he or she would always know the love of family.

That sweater and hat have now been worn by 13 great-grandchildren and 12 great great- grandchildren with two more waiting in the wings (due in November and February).  Newborns from 5-pounds up to 10-pounds have worn them, with varying degrees of fashion success. Some stuffed animals have even been spotted wearing the very same sweater and hat. They have been passed from family to family, lovingly handed down at baby showers or family gatherings and have even made several trips to San Francisco. My own children and grandchildren have worn them.

Although it was Nana Sarah’s grandchildren who patiently and lovingly created their own tradition to honor the memory of their grandmother’s love, I like to envision that as each mother or father buttons their infant into the sweater and places the hat on their newborn’s head, that it is Nana Sarah’s hands that caress the infant’s head, Nana Sarah’s lips that leave a soft kiss on the cheek, and Nana Sarah’s words whispered in the infant’s ears that pass along the traditions embedded in the family.