Judith and Dante. Mother and daughter. Family ties. I found out not long ago that the McCarthy family has 2 % Jewish blood in their veins. Today, Dante McCarthy has a lot more than this small percentage.
But I've always tried to figure out where it came from. I've settled on my grandmother McCabe, nee Fettgether. Her German blood seems the likely source. What special qualities did she have that leads me to naming her? She lived to be 97, was very pretty when she was young. A good cook, not particularly well-read. No intellectual, but she did admire my artistic talent. Frankly I can't find any stereotypical qualities she possessed. The Fettgethers came from outside Hanover. A small town. I don't recall its name. Grandma was definitely German. Her mother was a Schmidt. Somewhere along the line, some other group was involved. Family mysteries.
I like meditating on my genetic endowment. Not scientifically, for the most part. Just an idle thought exercise. It could be way off. Utterly false. But that's okay, too. It's crucial that a human being knows itself. If you know yourself, you know what does and does not count. Until you know yourself you don't know anything. Not truly. Not essentially. As you know yourself you then become more effective. Not as lost, and wandering in a void.
