Ezekiel 16:11-12
I adorned you with jewelry: I put bracelets on your arms and a necklace around your neck, and I put a ring on your nose, earrings on your ears, and a beautiful crown on your head.
All our oldest granddaughter, Virginia Rose, wants for her tenth birthday is to get her ears pierced. Of course, as you can deduce from the photo above, her mom and dad grant her that wish. Aren't these cute little studs she chooses?
I tell Virginia that as soon as her ears heal properly, I'll send her some of my costume jewelry earrings that I no longer wear to adorn her ears.
Now, I can see some of you scratching your heads and wondering, "Why does Martha have these silly, holiday-themed earrings?" Welcome to the world of teaching! I discover early on how much the kids appreciate the fact that their teachers like to celebrate the holidays just as much as they do. They especially get a kick out of the Halloween sets.
And why the tiny kitties? In the last middle school where I taught, we were the "Wildcats," hence my penchant for all things feline. I'm really grateful I hung onto these because cats are Virginia's favorite animal, and the small size is perfect for her ears.
Speaking of cats, here is the note card I send along in the mailer with the earrings.
I find this set of cards featuring air-born kittens on Amazon, and enjoy sending a different one to Virginia every chance I get.
And here is what I write to her:
My hunch is that Virginia will gravitate toward the kitty earrings more than any of the others.
One day when she's older, and a bit more responsible with her belongings, I'll send some real earrings for her to treasure. Or better yet, give them to her in person. Oh, how I miss all my granddaughters!
I do hope that whenever Virginia wears any of the earrings I sent to her, she will think about her Gammie, and remember how much both her Papa and I adore her.
And let us never forget how much God adores each one of us, and longs to adorn us with His blessings.
Amen!
What a wonderful gesture; to give something you treasure so much to someone you treasure even more. Your grand-daughter will understand and remember this gesture when she is old enough to really appreciate what you have done. You're a wonderful person and grand-mother, Martha.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
Thank you, Victor, for your kind words here - they are so much appreciated! I'm sure Virginia will be excited to get these and I hope she has fun wearing them.
DeleteLove and blessings!
How sweet! I know she will treasure them, especially since they are from you. I can only imagine how much you miss them. The cards are adorable too. You go Grammie :)
ReplyDeleteThank you, Martha! I do hope Virginia really enjoys having these earrings in her collection. Honestly, I think she will!
DeleteLove and blessings!
What a deliciously-thoughtful gesture! I hope you'll let us know of Virginia's reaction, and what she's chosen. I've no doubt she'll remember your love, from here to eternity.
ReplyDeleteI sure will let y'all know, Mevely! I do hope she loves what I've sent her and will enjoy the earrings for years to come.
DeleteLove and blessings!
How very precious to adorn you granddaughter with such love and thoughtfulness. I believe you are a treasure for her to keep, Grammie. Love and blessings.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your kind words here, Nells! She is, and always will be, my treasure along with my other grands. Grandchildren are certainly precious gifts from God.
DeleteLove and blessings!
Martha, this is a sweet, beautiful post. God adorning us with His jewels and adoring us is the best thing ever.
ReplyDeleteLove and blessings!
God's adorning and adoring are the best gifts we could ever hope for, Kim, that's for sure. Glad you enjoyed the post!
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Not only will she remember the earrings her Grammie sent to her but I bet she treasures them forever. I know they were raised to appreciate you in every way. Your first pic is absolutely beautiful and you touched me with the analogy.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad the analogy here touched you so, Carol! Yes, I'm very fortunate to have had my grands, especially Virginia, up close and personal for so many of their formative years. And I know you know how precious those times are when we can be reunited with them. I do hope Virginia will always treasure these earrings.
DeleteLove and blessings!
A very special time and gift of love.
ReplyDeleteYes, indeed, Diane! I can't wait to hear how Virginia likes these earrings. :)
DeleteLove and blessings!
what fun to read this tonight. Your post warmed my thought and made me smile. Love how you sent her some fun earrings,
ReplyDeleteSo glad this post made you smile, Jean. :) Grandchildren have a way of doing that, don't they? I can't wait to hear from Virginia as to which earrings she likes the best.
DeleteLove and blessings!
How cute are those earrings!! I would wear the cats in a minute!! When I was working at the art museum, we would dress up (a bit) for the holidays and I have several Halloween earrings. We always had 5th graders coming through on field trips. She will love those earrings and I'm sure will think of you when she wears them!
ReplyDeleteOh, Terri, I love that y'all would dress up at the museum for the holidays. What a great, festive message you sent to all those field trip children that toured with you! Honestly, I would still wear the cats in a heartbeat, but I know Virginia will appreciate them even more.
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Martha, I love this! When my daughter, Charity, got her ears pierced, her Nana did the same thing. Charity is now 24 and still cherishes them!
ReplyDeleteSo grateful you told me this story, Beckie. It gives me hope that Virginia, too, will always treasure these little gifts.
DeleteLove and blessings!
There ain't (excuse the French) no way she is going to forget you. Not only will that be impossible because of who you are but you will remind her. :) I'm not into jewelry but every little girl has to love these.
ReplyDeleteI can't imagine any little girl not liking these, Bill, and I feel certain that Virginia will enjoy having them. And she better not forget her Gammie - lol!
DeleteLove and blessings!
What a wonderful blessing to your granddaughter Ms. Martha Jane. I too pray she comes to cherish all the wonderful adornments you and Mr. Larry have filled her life with. The greatest among them will be, I think, a legacy of loving an following God.
ReplyDeleteThat's the legacy I truly want to leave for Virginia, J. D., one where she will love God and follow Him with all her heart. Isn't that the best thing we can give to our children and grandchildren?
DeleteLove and blessings!
Oh how sweet! I was seven when I got my ears pierced for my birthday. She is going to have so much fun with the earrings you send her. I had a teacher in elementary who was always decked out for every special occasion and I loved her.
ReplyDeleteI love that you write to her. My sweet Gramma has been in heaven now for a few years and I have kept all of the letters and cards we wrote back and for the to each other over the years. (She lived in LA and I lived up in the Puget Sound area of Washington.) I know know she will treasure these cards from you for years to come!
Love,
Annie
My daughter (Virginia's mom) was seven when I let her get her ears pierced, too! It's so sweet that you've kept the letters and cards that your grandmother sent you; I think they come to mean more to us the older we get. And that's also a way to let your son know his great-grandmother through her words. Hope Virginia does hang onto mine! :)
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Wonderful words, Martha. My wife has pumpkin earrings she wears every Halloween at work! :-)
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, Frank, and thanks for sharing that your wife enjoys getting festive at the holidays, too! It was so much fun to wear these earrings when I was teaching, and I hope Virginia will enjoy having them.
DeleteLove and blessings!
How sweet, Martha! Love those festive earrings and Virginia will too. In college, I worked at a jewelry store in the local mall. We would not pierce kids ears unless they were 8 or up. Why? Because we did one ear at a time. Little girls would back out of the whole ordeal once they felt the pain associated with the first ear. Unless we had 2 people available to pierce both ears at the same time. :-)
ReplyDeleteOh, wow, Karen, that's an interesting take on ear piercing back then. I remember that Sarah was only seven when I took her to get her ears pierced; they gave her a stuffed animal to squeeze if she felt pain, which she did, but she was quite brave through the whole ordeal. Yes, she wanted them that badly! And I have to say, Virginia was really brave, too.
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what a beautiful granddaughter and her siblings.
ReplyDeleteThank you for that scripture. I have to admit I wasn't a fan of nose earrings, as a matter of fact I'm still not. But it seems the Lord is ok with it/them, so I will be too!
What a great observation, Ed! I've never been fond of those, either, but as you say, if it's okay with God, it's certainly okay with me. And thanks for your sweet words about our granddaughters. :)
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I remember getting my ears pierced when I was about her age. She looks lovely. (Loved your post on foster care ministry -- left a belated comment there as well.)
ReplyDeleteThank you, Galen, I'll be sure to check it out and responds, my friend. I can't believe this, but I didn't get my ears pierced until I was in college!
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My foster daughter didn't get hers pierced till she was almost 30! She was scared.
DeleteThat is a natural reaction, Galen. I think the older we are, the more apprehensive we can become. May God erase any fears we have regarding going forward.
DeleteLove and blessings!
You are such a sweet Gammie to your little grandgirls! I know they love you to the moon and back, too!
ReplyDeleteI do think that is true, Cheryl, and I'm so grateful for their affection. That's something I'll never take for granted!
DeleteLove and blessings!