A beautiful and moving story a family's unique discovery of hidden treasures that speak of the love that binds...hearts shared...across time. Thanks to Liz for sharing her story with us...
My mother lived in the Virgin Islands for most of her later years. When she passed, my sisters and I cleaned her home from top to bottom leaving nothing but a mop outside and a few items that the new owners might appreciate.
When my husband and I traveled to the island for an anniversary vacation, we decided to see what the house now looked like 3 years later. Approaching the house a bit nervous, because I was fearful of an onslaught of emotion, we found the house exactly as we left it, mop and all and falling apart. I checked all the doors and found only one to be unlocked. The apartment below was open and there sitting on the table was a small box with something white sticking out. I cleaned this place and left NOTHING when we left earlier. I had no idea where this box came from and why it had my moms handwriting on the outside. Looking in I was flabbergasted. There sitting gently side by side were 31 different heart shaped pieces of white coral. All shapes, all sizes. I was beside myself. Not only did I not know where these came from, that my mother ever collected these beautiful finds, but my sisters too had no idea. The only thing we could think of was how she had always had a basic theme to her home- everything was white (furniture, kitchen, marble floor etc., and you splash vibrant color all around.) She must have found these stones/ coral in her travels around the world and kept them to herself somewhere unknown to us. How they ended up back in her home long after she had passed and the house was sold is a mystery.
This story would be something in and of itself, but what she and my sisters and no one else knew, was that my son and I have been collecting heart shaped rocks for the last 13 years and only we know about it. Pretty wild huh....
WELL....there is one last part to this story....
My mom is buried on the property, and we wanted to visit her too. she was buried in an above ground site. A stone wall with name plate in the front and cement top. Common in the south. I went up to visit her and to leave an orchid and one of the coral hearts we found. When sitting there I looked over to the right where the stone mason who built the wall and sealed her in must have flicked the remnants of cement on his shovel off, and there was a small perfectly shaped heart made out of the cement. With that I lost it. I retrieved the heart and took home so many wonders and questions. My mother and I were more alike than I knew and we have this one special bond that will always warm me when I look on at them all mounted for me and others to see in my home. My son and I continue to collect and love knowing it is just for us to do. Our little something....
Thank you for letting me share this with you. I hope others enjoy it as much as I love sharing it.
Liz
