There was a woman I worked with whom I was falling desperately in love. At one point, she made some comment about having fun at some sort of professional conference she attended, and I made a crack that she must carry her fun around with her in a box. She thought that was very funny. On my birthday a few months later, she gave me a beautifully wrapped shoe box that was filled with this like bubble mix and little games and some lovely autumn leaves — fun carried around in a box. It wasn't extravagant at all — I image she may have spent $5 on the whole thing — but the effort and the thoughtfulness behind it pushed me from right on the edge of being in love deeply into the heart of it.
Oh, how wonderful sweetie! That is such a beautiful story and thing that your mum did, before she passed on. And then, passing half of them to your daughter.
I think that what makes any gift is the story, and thought, placed behind it.
For me, my fella got me a Bunny Rabbit for my birthday, some 3 1/2 years ago now. In passing he knew that I liked rabbits and had mentioned the name Thumper to him, probably once before.
So, my birthday, he got me downstairs to meet said Thumper and, as trans, he knew that we have no chance of us having a child, but said "...this is our baby boy..." as he introduced him to me.
Our eyes met....he wiggled his nose....and I started crying!
@valobasa4ever It was your mother who loved you before you were born - who carried you for a long months close to her heart and in the fullest of time took God's hand in hers and passed through the valley of shadows to give you life. It was she who cared for you during the helpless years of infancy and scarcely less dependent years of childhood. As you have grown less dependent, she has done the countless, thoughtful, trouble-healing, helpful and encouraging things which somehow only mothers seem to know how to do. You may have accepted these attentions more of less as matters of course and perhaps without conscious gratitude or any expressions of your appreciation. You are rapidly approaching the time in life when you will be entirely independent of your mother. The ties which dependency has bound you to her may be served as you grow older, but the tie of mother-love can never be broken.
That's a really sweet story, especially the part where you gave half of the bangles to your daughter instead of making her wait someday. I’ve found the same thing with my son. Passing down a few things that belonged to my late father has really opened his eyes to the idea that family heirlooms can be every bit as meaningful and exciting as a brand-new toy or gadget. Those are the gifts that carry a story, and you just can't put a price on that.
Every Christmas my son gifts me with a gift box of all the different strains of pot he grew and that's always my favorite gift of the Christmas season. Cheers!
My favorite gift after I left home was a piano that my parents had delivered to my flat, a perfect spinet. Mom said she didn’t want me to stop playing. I didn’t. 😊
While heirlooms sound nice, I find things like personal lockets or engraved items give me the most connection to the personal value of the object. Where as New Experiences, with those you're close with, like Sky or Scuba diving, holiday, road trip, could be anything really that creates that lasting bond, That's where I find the most valuable treasures in life. Kind Regards now...
When I was seven, our house burned down, destroying everything, about a month before Christmas. A classmate's family showed up with gifts for me: some socks, jeans, a Slinky, and a football. I treasured that football and used it until it finally died when I was in high school.
When my daughter was born, we had little to spend. His visa mean he couldnt work and I had spent a month in hospital prior to her birth. We had slowly started to recover financially from our wedding but we just about had enough for day to day stuff. We were unsure of her survival rate during her first few days. We ordered each other a ring with her date of birth engraved within the first two days. She still didnt have a name at this point. The day they arrived, we named her and she came out of intensive care. On her first birthday he gave me another ring with her name. I wear them both every day.
Depends what he likes and does, but prefereably something he can use everyday - something electronic like a smart watch - or maybe a good backpack or duffle bag...nice story...
My parents gave me tickets to fly to London to live there for a while when I was 22. Otherwise, it would be the painting on canvas that my daughter gave to me after my open heart surgery.
Ohhhh my... I hope she treasures them. I'm guessing you shared their significant history!!!! Hopefully she is old enough to appreciate them. And hopefully great grandma is watching with a smile from above!!! Xoxoxo
