If someone told you that you had inherited a million dollars, what would you say? What would you do? My guess is you’d be leaping in the air with wild thoughts running through your mind of living on Easy Street for the rest of your life.

The things Mason has inherited, both the good and the not-so-good, have little to do with money. Among her inheritances are the genes given to her by her parents and ancestors. The places where Mason has lived have left their marks on her, some happy and some sad. Likewise, certain people and events, both sought and unsought, throw additional light on who she is. They all are tied together in a bundle she chooses to call her inheritance.

Mason encourages readers to look for inheritance traces throughout this narrative, roughly divided into the following time periods, and also to explore your own inheritance.