Teatime?

The week that Momma died, when all of her children (and in-laws) were in town for the funeral, Daddy decided it would be a good time for all of us to go through her jewelry.  She had marked a few things that she wanted particular people to have, but mostly we just sorted through it all, piece by piece, divvying it up.  We had a pile for each of the children, a pile that Daddy wanted to keep himself, and a pile to go to the thrift store :) (Not all of Momma's jewelry was keep-sake-caliber... which is fine.)

My favorite piece of jewelry that I "inherited" is the set of diamond earrings that Momma let me wear at my wedding.  They're pretty discrete, small earrings, but I have always loved them. So sparkley!  Momma's mother (Big Mom--our Texas Grandmother) had given them to Momma for her graduation.  I think these were her master's degree diamonds.  Big Mom got her a big dinner ring with lots of diamonds for her bachelor's degree.  My sister Bethany had originally picked them out, but when she remembered that I had worn them at my wedding she gave them to me.  She has told me before it was "no big deal" but it really meant a lot to me that she let me have them.  (Thanks, Beth) :) And she did end up with the bachelor's degree dinner ring, so it all works out, right?

Other pieces of jewelry weren't particularly valuable, but had great sentimental weight.  Momma's copper teapot earrings were kind of like that, although I remember thinking they were kind of silly. Who wears teapots for earrings?  I never had the desire to wear them when I was growing up, unlike so many other things in Momma's jewelry boxes (what little girl doesn't go through her mother's jewelry wishing she could wear all the pretties?), but when it came time for someone to pick them, no one else really wanted them... and I just couldn't bear to see them put in the thrift shop pile.  So I said I'd take them (they were, after all, real copper and ivory) and I put them in my pile.

I didn't even really look at them again until just a couple weeks ago.  I was getting dressed in the morning and I put on a bright green sweater.  I like my jewelry to match (especially since I have quite a bit more with Momma's pieces), and as I was sifting through my jewelry box, I came across the teapot earrings once again.  I held them up to my ear (seeing my reflection in Momma's vanity mirror--which I also loved as a kid, and which my siblings said I could take) and they looked really fun with my green sweater.  So I wore them that day, feeling just a little silly (I don't normally wear really dangly earrings).  But the resilient little girl in me felt very fancy and grown up, wearing earrings I could hear click-clack and feel on my neck as I turned my head from side to side.

Momma's earrings hanging on her bronze vanity mirror

There's nothing like discovering small treasures you didn't realize you had. I hope you find some today, too.