THE RING

When Babcia visited here this last Christmas she brought a very meaningful
gift with her for our oldest daughter. She didn't say anything to us about the gift,
so it was very emotional for everybody on Christmas Day when she presented it
to our daughter along with the story behind it.

Babcia's younger sister Elenora had visited Russia on vacation when she was
younger and purchased a thin bar of pure gold when she was there. She brought
the gold bar back with her to Poland and had 3 different rings made out of it
for herself and her sisters.
Later in her life Elenora
met and married my husband's father. A few years later my husband was born on
Christmas Day and what should have been a joyful celebration with a new baby and
Christmas turned tragic when Elenora died that night from hemorrhage. The family
rallied around and his father did take the baby for awhile, but wasn't able to care
for him properly. Babcia stepped in and offered to raise my husband, not an easy
task for a single woman that was
a full time teacher.

A few years ago my husband's grandmother became very ill and Babcia took on
the full time care of her so she could be at home. Babcia told us that right before
she passed away she asked for the ring she was wearing to be given to my daughter 
(who is named after my husband's birth mother). It is the ring that Elenora had made
from the bar of gold that she had worn for all of the years up until her death, when
Grandmother began wearing it.

Babcia wore the ring for several years and decided it was time to bring it with her
this year since my daughter is turning 17 years old. It is a beautiful Amethyst stone
and the ring itself is 18 karat gold.
My daughter was
overwhelmed on Christmas Day when Babcia gave the ring to her and told all of us
the whole story behind it. My daughter now has a tangible connection to a past
that she has only heard and read about. I understand she is a lot like her birth
Grandmother, with her kind and gentle spirit and deep love for the Lord. She
also has her height--6 feet tall!

We are grateful to Babcia for taking care of the ring and the story that will be
passed on in my daughter's future family so the memories of the people in her 
past will never fade away.