This year, one of the Challenges I signed up for is Blog All About It, hosted by The Herd Presents. The guideline is basically a blogging prompt challenge. Each month there’s a different prompt that you can interpret as you’d like then create a blog post around it. The 2018 list of prompts can be seen here on my Challenge Page. I will be posting for this Challenge on the 2nd Saturday of each month.
I enjoyed this Challenge and am so excited that Anna is hosting again in 2019. Join us!!! Sign up HERE
This month’s prompt is: SHINE/SPARKLE
When I first saw the prompt for this month, my first thought was diamonds. I think it is true that diamonds are a girl’s best friend. Who doesn’t like diamonds? Even my Dad loved diamonds and would say they were an investment.
The second thing that came to mind was the sparkling and shining lights on a Christmas tree.
And both these thoughts brought me back to the Christmas when I was 8 years old!
Under our tree were three brown lunch bags each tied with a bow. One for my Mom, another for my sister and the third bag had my name on it, all from my Dad. Of course, the three of us were curious, so when my Dad wasn’t around, we tried figuring out what could be in these brown lunch bags. We all agreed that we could feel walnuts. I remember my Mom saying, that she thought my Dad had lost it and had gone off the deep end.
Knowing that the three of us were anxious to see what was in those bags, my Dad prolonged the opening of the gifts for as long as he could. That year, the only presents we were truly interested in were those three lunch bags filled with walnuts and tied with a bow. I’m sure he enjoyed every second that went by aware that he was torturing us. I remember he had a huge smile on his face and a twinkle in his eye.
Finally….he gave each of us the bag with our name on it. We were right, the brown bags contained walnuts. But the walnuts surrounded a small jewelry box. Each held a diamond ring. This is the ring that he picked out for me when I was just 8 years old.
I will always remember and cherish that Christmas, recalling his big smile, the sparkle in his eye and the sense of pride that he fooled the three of us. Sadly, 8 years later, right after Christmas, my Dad passed away.
A memory that I hold dear and is as vivid today as it was so many years ago.
