It's an unassuming little succulent. Nothing special about it, right? So why am I so thrilled to get this offset from a plant my sister has? This was my grandmother's plant and it lives on even though she has been gone for nine years.

My sister and I are not sure what kind of succulent it is. She says it blooms in fall/winter with clusters of pink flowers. After hitting the books, the closest thing I saw was Pachyphytum compactum. (If any of you recognize this plant please let me know.) After my sister left, I just found myself staring at this little plant.

It became a portal to the past. I found myself back in my grandmother's greenhouse in Nederland, Texas. My grandfather had built it for her. The walls were made out of corrugated plastic panels, the floors were gravel and dirt. My grandfather had also built the tables that held her plants. I don't believe they had any heating system. For ventilation, a panel of plastic was propped open with a stick. It was rudimentary, but effective.

She mostly had succulents and bromeliads as I recall. Most other things would grow in her large yard. Her favorites were Earth Stars, Cryptanthus sp. These bromeliads were very popular in the 1970s. They were rosettes of variegated leaves in colors of green, cream, pink and red. They were very exotic.

As my grandmother aged and moved, her gardening space became smaller and smaller; from a yard to a patio balcony, and finally to a shelf. But she never stopped loving her plants and flowers. She passed her love of all things horticultural to my mother. Mom has always had a green thumb, but in the last 10-15 years, she has become the orchid and begonia queen. There is always something wonderful blooming at Mom's house. So I guess a love for green things must just be flowing in my genes, thanks to these two wonderful women.