Treasured Heirlooms

If you would like to join me on a walk down memory lane, please click on the picture above to find out how!

Today, I was going to tell some funny stories about my first couple of dates with my husband, but those will have to wait until next week since my scanner won't let me scan any pictures today!

Lynette's post about her engagement ring today reminded me of a special piece of jewelry that I own, so I went looking around and found several special treasured heirlooms that I would like to share.

My Mom lost the diamond in her original engagement ring. They looked everywhere for it and she could not find it. Eventually, she ended up getting a new wedding ring made, but she always treasured her original set. One day, many years later, my Dad was vacuuming and saw something shiny stuck in the carpet. He bent down, and would you believe that it was the diamond from my Mom's ring!?! After many years of vacuuming, and walking past that spot, it was still there, just waiting to be found. My Mom had that diamond made into a necklace for me, and I can't remember which occasion she gave it to me, but it was a complete surprise and so very special. I will treasure it forever.

Here is a picture of my special necklace.

My Mom loved to write, so almost everything special she gave me, came along with a special hand-written note for me to keep. I went looking, because I'm sure this necklace included a letter, but couldn't find one specific to it. However, when I opened my hope chest, I knew I had to share with you some other special things that my Mom made for me that did come with a special letter!

On Christmas of 1997, when I was 21, my Mom gave me a beautiful peach afghan that she crocheted for me and also some hot pad/potholders. Some of the hot pads I use every day, but these ones I have put up to hand down to my girls one day. In the card she gave me, my Mom wrote, "When I made this there is a lot of love with every stitch. You can use it now or save these things for your hope chest. I hope you like it & these hot pads."

In her letter, she wrote something that I haven't read in years, yet it brought tears to my eyes because it is so beautiful and so true. What I love more than anything, is that even though my Mom is no longer here with me, I am still learning very important lessons from her. She wrote:

"In the not too far off future, you will marry & start a life as a wife & then one day a Mother. Remember, life is so short, so make each day count, for we are here for a short time & we are here to love & be loved."

It's amazing that these are the words she chose to write, and that I am reading them during this time in my life, when I have been struggling with letting go of Mom and learning how to live life again without her. I have no doubt that she wrote these letters to me because she knew that one day I would need them. They are so very treasured. She is absolutely right too. We are here to love one another and to be loved. That is the most important thing in life, and no one ever made me feel more loved than my Mom. I hope that the words I write in my blog will one day be treasured by my girls and that they will know that I loved being their Momma more than anything else in the world!

When I got done taking my pictures for this post, I sat down in my chair to put them on my computer. When I looked up, this is what I saw:

It probably doesn't look like much to y'all, but to me it is a beautiful picture. My treasured heirlooms, along with a beautiful painting that my Granny painted of a lighthouse. This has significant meaning to me, because my Mom loved lighthouses more than anything. I remember her many times singing along to her favorite song, "The Lighthouse." It is a song that was played at her funeral, and it just touches my heart to see this picture and the way that the colors of the picture perfectly match the colors of my treasures. It was not done on purpose, so when I looked up and saw this, I just thought it was so very special.

Some of the lyrics to "The Lighthouse":

And I thank God for The Lighthouse
I owe my life to Him
For Jesus is The Lighthouse
And from the rocks I've seen
He has shown a light all around me
That I might clearly see
If it wasn't for The Lighthouse
Tell me where would this ship be.