A Love Transfer

Love isn't put in your heart to stay;

Love isn't love 'til you give it away. (Unknown)

Not sure when or where I learned that little ditty, but it was ringing in my heart this morning after Andrew, our rough and tumble 5 yr. old grandson, (ck out the bruised eye & band-aids) came sneaking up on me while I was having a "quiet time" on the patio.

Hiding something in his hand behind his back, we played a guessing game of sorts and he revealed he had found something special on his walk with PopPop.

Eventually, I gave up and he showed it to me announcing, "This is for you."

A treasure---just as he had said. A heart-shaped leaf.

God's gift of creation (Gen.2:9a) lovingly transferred through the grimy hands of a young boy.

Brown and a little crispy.....and I loved it! Of course I did.

Next week when we head for home, I won't leave my heart in Texas. 

I plan on taking it home with me, pressed between the pages of my journal.

GIGI GIFT revealed

7/6/10….I’ve gotten phone calls, emails, blog comments and face to face questions so I decided to “globally” answer the question, “What did Gigi give Josh and his bride as a wedding gift?”
Drum roll please----a sterling silver Francis the First pastry server. I think Mother (aka Gigi) figured it could be used in their home to serve the chocolate chess pie. (recipe included with

the gift) They actually used it in their wedding to cut the tiered wedding cake. Yes, I cried---couldn’t help it, especially since on a nearby table were engagement/wedding pictures of all the grandmothers. I’m not sure but I think maybe Mother’s winked or maybe that was just me blinking back the tears. (Gigi is third from left)

BTW, they also had a scrumptious caramel cake with sea salt for that sweet and salty taste that has become my flavor of choice. I had my first taste of sweet and salty caramel ice cream at the Shake Shack (Madison Sq Park at 23rd) on one of my first trips to NYC to visit Josh/Megan. Salted Caramel was on the Shack’s October custard calendar for Thursday, the night we arrived, so I lucked out.



Josh and Megan also provided “hot tea,” as well as coffee, to accompany their 3 cakes. You know how much this new mother-in-law appreciated both the “cuppa” and the thought.

The Gigi gift that Josh and Megan unwrapped was indeed shiny and beautiful, though not terribly expensive. The real gift was Gigi’s heart, wrapped in Gigi’s love. It revealed how special her grandson was to her----and that’s priceless.

GIGI'S GIFT

6/23/10 Ever the pragmatic one, Mother, aka Gigi to her grands, gave me (9 years ago) a gift for Josh, if and when he married, because she knew she wouldn’t be around for his special day. His would be the only grandchild’s wedding she would miss. Her gift (can’t tell b/c Megan reads the blog) even included her personalized recipe card for chocolate chess pie. Though somewhat incomplete---she cooked by feel---it had all the ingredients listed boldly, though in her cancer weak hand, and at the bottom was written---“Josh likes this.”
Gigi--- a tall, striking, very “ungrandmotherly” looking lady. She didn’t smell mothbally either, like so many grandmothers do---just ask her grandaughters who loved to get into Gigi’s make-up and the fancy bottles of perfume on her gold filigree tray.

Josh has always had a special relationship with his Gigi even when she treatened to “skin him alive” for running down the driveway as a 4 year old. He had always declared that if he ever married, (and that was a BIG IF) Gigi was the only one he was going to invite to the wedding and it was going to be in Las Vegas because he thought his Gigi would like a glittery place.

I guess Las Vegas lost its luster after Mother died because the wedding will be in Brooklyn, his and Megan’s “beloved borough.” I do regret that Mother never met Megan. She would have liked her and would have loved shopping in New York with her. She would have loved her Valentino’s too. Mother believed in stepping out in style (unlike her daughter) and the adorable PINK wedding shoes would have been right up her “fashion alley.” She would probably also threaten to “skin Josh alive” if he didn’t treat his bride/wife like a lady. Nestled in the ribbon of the package is a silver ice scoop because Josh loved Gig’s “sweet tea.” Always sweetened while warm and then chilled and served in glassware (no Tupperware for her.) with lots of ice. LOTS of ice, another Gigi rule. Hence, the scoop.

I’ll probably cry when I give it to them because Gig’s gift came at great cost---bought years ago as she suffered in her final stages of cancer. Her desire was for Josh to know that she wanted at least her gift to be at the wedding and then used throughout his marriage.