Valentine’s Day and Heart Shaped Trinket Boxes

My Mama loved holidays … ALL holidays.  If she wasn’t decorating for them she was making sure she wore the ‘colors of the day’ … like today she wouldn’t have gone anywhere without wearing her RED!

Growing up, on Valentine’s Day each year, she would buy us kids small gifts or candies.  When we were little it was the Conversation Hearts and back then they came in a heart shaped plastic container remember those?  They had a red base and a clear plastic lid.  I never cared for them, the Conversation Hearts, taste-wise anyway, but they, as they are still today, were pretty cool with their cute little sayings on them.

When Jackie and I were in our teens Mama sometimes bought us heart themed gifts like heart earrings, perfume (not heart shaped but love inspired), heart shaped boxes of candy and heart shaped trinket boxes and always included were the heart shaped red hots … the cinnamon flavored candy.  BUT we always got the heart shaped red hots even if we didn’t get a heart themed gift that year.

I took a special liking to the heart shaped trinket boxes so much so I started a small collection … not a collection of ALL the heart shaped trinket boxes I ran across but beautiful heart shaped trinket boxes.  I only have about a 7 of them now … some got broken over the years, some were not as pretty as my particular taste dictated and then like I said I don’t want to own ALL heart shaped trinket boxes just a few that are special.

I still have the very first heart shaped trinket box Mama ever gave me …on Valentine’s Day … it’s a small, white porcelain heart shaped box with I Love You written in red on the top …its just big enough for a couple rings or some earrings.

Another special one is solid brass …I used my lunch hour from work and met Mama a couple blocks away at an estate sale …she’s the one who spied it …the solid brass heart shaped trinket box …and after confirming I liked it (Mama always said I was picky and hard to buy for LOL) she bought it for me.

My MOST favorite heart shaped trinket box is one of sterling silver.  The story behind it makes it all the more special.  Scott and I were divorced and he had the kids for the summer … ALL three kids for the first time!  Mama was there at the house with me when they left … and the minute they did, I ran into my bedroom, threw myself on my bed and just cried, cried, cried … my heart was torn to pieces.  I think I must have cried for an hour or more while Mama sat there with me!  At some point, Mama talked me into going to the Base (MCLB …specifically the BX) with her.  I didn’t want to go I just wanted to wallow in my heartbreak but I went cause she said it would “do you good to get out”.  So we’re in the BX and Mama spies a heart shaped trinket box and calls me over.  It was a beautiful sterling silver with double hearts interlocked trinket box.  At first I wasn’t sure I wanted it cause I was divorced, I didn’t have my heart intertwined with anyone.  But Mama said “it has two connected hearts, one is your heart and the other heart is your love for your kids” …I just cried.  That is why this one means the most to me!

Mama our hearts will always be intertwined …yours and mine!