Friday, May 7, 2004

Best Birthday Gift

I can not wear a watch. I have the uncanny ability to stop them with the greatest of ease. I once was caught in a torrential down pour running to my dormitory and destroyed the non-waterproof watch I was wearing. While traveling to San Diego, passing over three time zones, I changed the time on my watch and it never worked again. I lost the most beautiful emerald studded watch at the Horse Park several years ago. It just fell off my wrist . I did not realize it until much later. It goes on and on. I have no idea why I have such an adverse effect on watches? Over the years I have learned to live with it. I cope with not wearing a watch. I also have an uncanny ability to be able to tell time by guessing "Feels like its about 2:30" and astonishing enough, it is!

In 1972 when my Nana died, my mother gave me two of her possessions. One was a set of the prettiest wine cups, the top of the heavy glass stained red. And her 14K gold wrist watch. On the back of the watch is engraved her name "Mary". Nana was called Mollie, but her name was Mary Ann.

I am terrified to wear this watch. And I have never worn it. It is in a special place in my jewerly box. I know that if I ever put it on, well the result will be ugly. So, it is kept hidden away, and to tell the truth, I had forgotten about it.

Until that fateful day that Joe told me his daughter (who was around six at the time) had "borrowed" the watch out of my jewerly box and taken it home. I went nuts. Even though I had not thought of nor seen the watch for what must have been 25 years, I was crazed! The watch had been lost! It had been left at one of her little friends house. I was now crying and in a highly agitated state.

Two months later the watch was found. Joe gave it to me and as I looked at it a funny feeling came over me. I had not seen this watch for years and years. I was dismayed that the watch had one of those stretchy bands and the face looked dirty and.......kind of cheap. It broke my heart to actually think of my Nana having this watch as one of her most precious possessions. I put it into another special secret hiding place that maybe a six year old would not find this time.

When my birthday arrived Joe lavishly presented a small box to me. I ripped it open (jewerly! The best sort of present!) Inside was a 14K gold watch totally refurbished, polished and working.

After the incident, Joe felt so bad that he began looking all over the house for the watch  before telling me that the watch could not be found. He  ran across this watch  and thinking it couldn't be my Nana's watch.....his daughter had taken Nana's watch....He took it to a watch repair and had it put into working order.

I flipped it over..."Mary". I cried tears of relief, guilt, and something even deeper. I began to think that this act of caring from him was the sweetest and most appreciated show of love I have received from him.

That is my most memorable birthday gift.  

23 comments:

Anonymous said...

What a sweet gift!  The best gifts are always the ones that cost more "love" than cash.  Lisa  :-]

Anonymous said...

Now that is an incredible gift.

Anonymous said...

WOw some impressive gift info. Lori

Anonymous said...

  Mary
         It was really nice finding out that you have the same Birthday that I do, but a few years apart.   I'll email you later.

Best,
Debi

Anonymous said...

What a nice story. Thanks for sharing it. :)

Anonymous said...

Oh! This is a wonderful story. What a gift!

Anonymous said...

I had a great watch for nearly twenty years. Left it outside in the hot Texas sun one day and it never ran again! That's pretty scary, considering I like to go out in the hot TX sun to maintain my tan. No wonder my brain is FRIED......Jon

Anonymous said...

This is a most beautiful story....well written and so, so, ahem...bittersweet.  Thank you.

Anonymous said...

I am the exact same way with watches! Yet, another thing we have in common. My mom is constantly pawning off her old watches to me. I wear them for a couple of weeks and they die. I have a drawer full of cheap watches in need of repair. I decided to just stop wearing the darn things. It was the hardest thing to do. I felt naked and late all the time. I learned to ask total strangers for the time because I'm neurotic and must know the exact time always. Now that Cell Phones have the time, humanity has been saved from my neurosis. ;-)

And....Joe is a keeper for sure!!!!! How sweet! :-) ---Robbie

Anonymous said...

I like this story. It was nicely told by you with a lot of feeling. I have worn the same watch for 35 years. When it quit working a few years ago I took it to be repaired. for the entire time it was gone I felt "wrong". Then it came back all repaired and working properly. It was like finding a lost relative after many years. My Regards, Bill.

Anonymous said...

Oh, that was truly beautiful.  It actually brought a lump to my throat.  My wonderful mother also has just such prized possessions in her jewelry box; inexpensive items that I would have sneered at in my youth but that I now understand to be more precious than gold.  

How lucky to are to have a man as thoughtful and compassionate as Joe!  What a wonderful gift...... :)

Anonymous said...

That's a sweet gift story.  ::smile::  I was just telling Aunt Nubs that I couldn't think of any memorable gifts I'd given, and that maybe that was my cue to start putting more thought into gifts. But this watch story reminds me that I once gave my mother a watch she'd lost for her birthday.  I was a little kid - maybe 5 or 6. And I'd found a watch that had fallen down between our cabinet and stove.  I wrapped it in paper and gave it to my mother for birthday.  When she opened it, she cried.  It was a watch she'd lost.  Awww.. I'm a pretty darn good gift-giver, afterall.  tehehehe...

If I received anything like that from my grandmother's possessions, I wouldn't wear it either.  ::smile::

And I can't tell time on manual clocks.  So I don't wear a watch either.

Anonymous said...

That`s really a wonderful story!!
V

Anonymous said...

What a poignant memort and well-written entry.

Anonymous said...

Such a touching story.  You are a great writer.

Anonymous said...

What a wonderful story.  So many times it is the thought and effort, not the gift itself, that makes the imprint.  I just love this story!

Anonymous said...

that was a BEAUTIFUL STORY  JOHN

Anonymous said...

Superb story-telling! Makes you stop and think what's really important in our lives. I was honored to have you visit my blog!

Anonymous said...

 Truly Pisces--sentimental lot, aren't we?  Lol.  Thanks for the kind thoughts on my Journal.  You always make my day with a kind word.  I am glad that you found your watch!

Anonymous said...

This is a fantastic story.  (And I'm glad it had a happy ending!)

~Stacey

Anonymous said...

WOW what an awsome story. Lori

Anonymous said...

What a wonderful entry. :)

Monica

Anonymous said...

Aww, what a beautiful gift and what a thoughtful gesture.  My mother loves jewelry, and since I'm her only daughter, I would probably inherit her collection.  She has gorgeous pieces, but the one I will treasure the most is the diamond ring she inherited from my grandmother.