Sweet Gifts

A few years ago, I returned home from a visit to Texas with this tiny pink bottle that my mom gave me.

It's so cute...only about four inches tall or so.

It sat empty on the kitchen window sill for some time...waiting to find its purpose.

It finally found the sweetest reason for being.

When the kids pick flowers for me, the idea of picking anything beyond the actual flower itself just doesn't seem to work.  

Stems - leaves - who needs those?  

So, I end up with a pretty little flower that is expected to be displayed...in a vase...in full view.

Solution!

I decided to drop the flower into the small jar.

Over time it slowly loses its color, but not its beauty.

They've filled it up and added other treasures too.

I can't be sure where it all came from, but the one thing that I do remember is the sweet little bird.  

In January 2006, a month before we moved from England, Donald's sister Susan came for a visit.  She and I took Hannah on a day trip to Bath.

We walked and saw a lot of beautiful things -

The Royal Crescent, 

and the ancient Roman baths

But what did this cutie buy with her money?

This itty bitty little pink bird made with the tiniest slivers of bark for wings. 

He's smaller than the tip of my thumb.

How she saw it in the shop we were in, cluttered with jewelry, knick knacks and souviners of all sorts, I'll never know...but she has always had a desire for tiny sweet treasures.

So, of course he deserves place of pride at the top of this jar full of love!