Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Two Hearts




It's been a while since I was here. And I don't just mean blogging, I mean really contemplating and really writing. I've had a lot of words stored up and no time or energy to put them down. But I thought today was a good day to do that and a good place to start because today is my mother's birthday.

One of the worst confessions I could make to all of you is that I don't send her a gift. Lately, it seems like I haven't even sent a card. It makes me feel pretty bad, considering on my birthday she always manages to send me something even though I tell her she doesn't have to. It's nice to be at that age and place in life where you don't need gifts from those closest to you. After all, you have each other. And I have been more than blessed in life, especially with my family. So in an attempt to make humble amends for the last few years, I thought I would write a blog post for my mom for her birthday present.

My mom gave me this absolutely beautiful and perfect gift for Christmas: a Tiffany & Co. necklace. There are two hearts on it, one engraved with the Tiffany & Co. trademark wording. This gift has meant more to me than many others I have ever received. I always imagined the first time I was given a blue box with a bow it would be from a man. Then later on, I began to think maybe it would have to be from myself. But it was a pleasant surprise and one of the most fulfilling moments in my life when I received the blue box with white bow from my mom.

Some men have really disappointed me over the years; some friends too. And I have really let myself down a time or two, especially when it comes to money. In other words, I don't know if I would have ever been given such a special piece of jewelry had my mother not been the one to give it to me. I know there have been times when we have disappointed each other, but at the end of the day, my mom will always have a special place in my heart.

As someone who never wishes to be a parent it is always so hard to imagine the connection one must feel towards their child. Families are so different nowadays, they aren't defined with such clean-cut words or measured in household units. Marriages do not even seem to be clearly defined or sacred anymore. Even jewelry has taken on new artistic forms. But I love that Tiffany & Co. will always remind me of a girl who was not in search of the perfect man, the perfect family, or even the perfect piece of jewelry -- she was in search of herself, and all the other findings were merely the white bow on top. If you know Breakfast at Tiffany's, you know what I am talking about.

So, thank you mom, for giving me a heart that beats. Thank you for giving me things I don't need but want badly, and would never have asked for. Thank you for letting me watch old movies when I was growing up. Thank you for teaching me to read and to appreciate a good piece of jewelry. Thank you for standing by me no matter how many times I messed up. Thank you for always sending cards on my birthday and giving me something with a bow every Christmas. Thank you for making me breakfast in the mornings (pancakes on the weekends when I was little and now at 28, coffee with creamer). Thank you for taking me to see Tiffany & Co. for the first time (in San Francisco, many years ago). Thank you for not holding against me all those years I didn't send a card or a box with a bow. Thank you for telling me that I could be whatever I wanted, whether it was a teacher, a writer, or a shoe addict. And thank you for reading this post; I know you will, because you never disappoint me when it comes to reading this blog. Thank you for giving me a reason to write.

4 comments:

  1. Thank you Beth's Mom for having raised such a lovely daughter,

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  2. Oh Beth...your words made my eyes water, they're so beautiful! I know your mom will treasure every word of this special birthday gift to her.

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  3. What a sweet tribute to your mom! And, love the gift. In all my years, I've never received a box from Tiffany's. I always wanted to --especially after I saw Breakfast at Tiffany's! Oh well, I have many other "gifts" in life to be thankful for...thanks for reminding me.

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  4. Hi sweet Beth,

    I just love this post...
    It is just beautifully put.

    XOX
    Sandy

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