“It is all I ever wanted from my mother’s estate.”

Edelweiss

The house was filled with seemingly almost everything in the world.  I say everything, because it held African Hunting Trophies, Anastasi Statuettes and a host of other collectables.  They are things collected over a lifetime and some of them are quite valuable.  Other, particular things, there are precious!

Value is in the eye of the beholder.  And, while eating Mexican food, I was about to receive a heartfelt reminiscence, a teacher of value.  A primer about value I’ll never forget.  That lesson started with an innocuous introduction. 

“I don’t really remember much of my childhood in detail.”  My friend said, before sharing a more enticing follow up.  “But, I specifically remember the time I lived with my family in Geneva as a child.”

He went on to tell me about the large market area of Geneva where he and his brother used to go exploring after school, the “International School,” and on weekends.  They went there because of the market’s interesting things to see and experience.  It also gave them a chance to spend more time with their remarkable classmates in a more casual setting.

And, my friend was right!  He could describe the market’s setting in amazing detail.  So much so that I was immediately immersed in an auditory tour that soon seemed to be projected into my head as if the entire memory was being displayed as a full-scope film documentary in my head.

“I remember the day when an old man walked up to me and handed me a small flower as a gift.”  My buddy said with a time-traveler gaze in his eyes.

He was there in Geneva, in that time, at that moment again.  I could tell.  His presence had faded on the edges like a worn parchment.  Yet, he continued verbally painting the image onto my mind.

“The man I didn’t know handed me a single flower while saying, ‘Take this home and give it to your mother.’”

The boy version of my friend did take the flower home where he presented it to his mother.  She was delighted as she accepted his single stem of Edelweiss and lovingly walked over to the bookcase behind her to carefully press the flower within the pages of a carefully selected book.  He knew then that she wanted to preserve the flower as a way of preserving his love for a lifetime.

“As my mom became worn with age I told her that there was only one thing I wanted from her estate.  It was our treasured Edelweiss!”

As his mother lay in a care facility not long ago he went into her home and searched the entire house looking for the flower representing their love.  And, when he couldn’t find it he reported his despair back to her.  But, she didn’t easily give up!

“There are some boxes there that haven’t been opened from our last move.”  She said to comfort him.  “Maybe it’s in one of those boxes.

Then, a few weeks later during another visit to his mother, she happily presented him with the book that still held their treasure safe.  She beamed as she handed it to him.  And, he recognized the book of antiquity instantly.

So, he began to gently fan through the pages of the book carefully searching for the entombed Edelweiss.  He felt the breath of the pages as they floated by.  Finally, his eyes feasted on the still pressed flower!

“It’s all I ever wanted!”  He said breathlessly. Relieved at last.  

Now that his mother is gone, this particular Edelweiss will keep his mother with him always. Both will live on within his memory, right along with once lived in days in Geneva’s magical market.

You and I get to decide what is magical in our lives; what is of personal value.  Choose love, from the heart, as your magic and your treasure.