Of all the advice that my father's grandmother passed along to him, the one he chose to share routinely is still etched in my memory.  Interestingly, what he shared had nothing to do with growing up in segregated Mississippi, admonitions about police brutality (although I am certain those were made too), or about future career choices.  Instead it had to do with ironing.  One day I watched my father iron a dress shirt for church and asked him how he learned to iron.  He told me that his mother taught him when he was very young - she also taught him to cook, wash his clothes, and sew.  She insisted that he learn because she said, "when you grow up and marry, I want you to do so out of love, not because you need someone to take care of you".  As an 8-year old, I was more concerned about Jim Palmer's ERA than girls so the advice passed over my head.  I am certain that he considered this advice an irreplaceable gift.