How I Learned to Be Careful With Cash or Nonna Strikes Again!

How I Learned to Be Careful With Cash

Or 

Nonna Strikes Again!

One day when I was fifteen years old, I walked into my bedroom and confronted a frightening sight. My normally messy desk had been cleared. I chased down my sisters and accused them of getting into my personal stuff. They were loudly denying any part in this crime when my grandmother, Nonna, strolled into the room. 

She stopped our argument with a simple, “They didn’t touch your desk. I did. Your desk was messy so I straightened it up.” 

“What did you do with the envelopes on top?” I asked.

“I threw them away,” Nonna answered.

“But they had my birthday money in them!” I wailed.

“Well,” she said, “you should have been more careful with them then.”

I couldn’t believe how callous Nonna was! How could she so lightly dismiss my loss? I searched the trash to no avail. I took my case to my parents who (Can you believe this?) sided with Nonna. If I had something valuable, it was my job to keep it safe. 

It took me years to get over this. All of us kids knew that Nonna was a human vacuum cleaner. She followed along behind all ten of us (six kids, two parents, our cat and our dog) and put things away. 

My brother maintained that Nonna was a practical joker. You would leave something --like shoes, books, or a jacket -- lying around just where you knew you would find it and, at the most inconvenient moment, when friends were at the door or the school bus was on the corner, you’d go back to find it gone. After a frantic search, we’d always find it where we never thought to look – where it belonged. Once fixing my hair, I stopped to answer the phone. I returned in seconds to find my brushes and barrettes neatly put away. Nonna had struck again!

I never got my money back but I learned a valuable lesson that day -- actually two. First, I learned to take better care of my valuables. While I still might find the occasional dollar in the wash, I usually know exactly where all of my treasures are kept. Second, I learned that Nonna and my parents wanted me to be responsible. I can just imagine this scene today. Teenager carelessly leaves cash lying around. Grandmother cleans up. Teen screams. Grandmother and parents scramble to replace the cash, sorting through the recycling bag or pulling it from their own pockets. What kind of a lesson will these kids learn?

Nonna struck many more times after that. We were slow studies; it took us a long time to learn to put things away. We were blessed to have Nonna with us for many years. We learned to keep our valuables safe, but more importantly, we learned that Nonna and the lessons she taught us were our most priceless treasures. 

Today, when I pick up a dropped sock or put some change in my wallet I think, “Lesson learned, Nonna. Thanks!”