86 comments

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  Domestic Miss

  8 months ago

  William, my first Dalmatian, for my uni graduation. He is the gift that keeps on giving as well as the world's most expensive dog. I spent £ 2000 in August to ensure that they would remove a radiator cap from his stomach so that he could live. And of course, many, many, many more ££££ on all sort of disasters (falling off a balcony among others...). Maybe he does have many lives, like a cat, but he is surely having a stab at ticking them off the list.
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  dajolt

  8 months ago

  Difficult to say. But I was given one life changing gift last year - a Magic Bullet-type food blender. Cost like $30 max and I didn't really wanted one - in fact, I considered it to be a thoughtless gift.
  
  As it was in the house I started to use it anyway and it triggered a change in my diet - suddenly I was replacing snacks with carrot/apple mush on a daily basis. Together with a more active lifestyle I managed to lose 50 pounds (or nearly 25%) of my body weight) and am really happy.
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  Kirsty

  8 months ago

  Good for you! It isn't easy to change dietary habits...keep it up.
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  CarrieM

  8 months ago

  That's a gift that keeps on giving. Bravo for health and happiness!
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  Traci

  8 months ago

  Every year on my birthday I get a phone call from my neices and/or nephew, in which they sing me Happy Birthday. It makes me cry every time. I adore it.
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  Ginger

  8 months ago

  This is our family thing too. We all leave each other Birthday Greetings in whatever singing voice we can muster. We have a lot of fun with it.
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  Danielle

  8 months ago

  My Grandma calls me every year from across an ocean to sing me Happy Birthday, no matter what time it is over on her side of things. She has done it ever since I was just a wee lass and she still does it to this day.
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  Suzyn

  8 months ago

  We do this for everyone we know!
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  Pia

  8 months ago

  The gift of time - just to be by myself or hang out with someone special.
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  Ramona

  8 months ago

  I agree. I always feel blessed when someone is willing to spend time together.
  
  *m
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  licarrit

  8 months ago

  Does getting my daughter from my husband count? Its not like I could have conjured her up on my own -she's the spitting image of him! Beyond that I would have to say my graduation from Yale at 35. My husband promised me that if I got in, he'd worry about paying for it, sometimes it has been tough but we have managed to do it. He will always be the biggest wage earner in the family and I don't think I always give him enough credit for handling it so well. "His girls" get to do pretty much whatever we want and not a lot of people can say that.
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  Nancy

  8 months ago

  This is going to sound like a very odd answer, but it is truly the greatest gift that I have ever received. My Dads passing was the biggest gift ever. I was alone with him when he passed & was able to witness the miracle of his soul leaving his body, which I will always remember in great detail. Although I had feared his immenent death, I knew in that very moment of crossing, that he had transitioned into something wonderful & he was just moving on to something else, kind of like going on an amazing & adventurous vacation. That day I left his side, with a feeling of curiosity, wonder & almost delight for him~about where he was headed off to & what wonderful things he would expereince. Although I miss my Dad every day. I also think back on his passing with some happiness for him, it was the day my Dad got away. My Dad was always big on teaching me things~his passing was the greatest gift & lesson ever. I have never feared anyones transition since. I always miss my loved ones when they go~but I am never afraid for them...thanks to Dad
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  Lori_from_Texas

  8 months ago

  Thank you Nancy. I love the tenderness in your writing.
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  CarrieM

  8 months ago

  what a powerful experience of death. Thanks for sharing Nancy.
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  EcoDiva

  8 months ago

  Thank you for this post. I was 3,000 miles away when my dad passed. I just imagine this very sad moment....your words can give my memory a new story...one of a moment of peace and transition vs loss.
  
  Thank you
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  Linda Borland-Fitzgerald

  8 months ago

  That is truly a 'gift' Nancy. I missed my mother's passing and we had promised each other that we would be together, me holding her and she, talking about what was happening in each moment. She saw her mother the night before she passed.. that much I witnessed. But, the rest is absolute torture for me. So, I envy your experience with your father and saw immediately what a powerful gift that was for you. Thanks for sharing it... L
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  Ms. O

  8 months ago

  My son is the absolute best thing that ever came into my life.
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  Eva

  8 months ago

  The gift of education. My Great Aunt helped me through college. Without her I would not have been able to afford the opportunity.
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  Lori_from_Texas

  8 months ago

  The best gift I ever received was the freedom to choose faith for myself. My parents did not have me baptized as an infant because they wanted me to be baptized when and if I wanted that for myself. My faith came in response to God's deeper, inner, invitation, not a forced march to church by mom & dad. It's made all the difference.
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  Ginger

  8 months ago

  That is a great gift.
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  Kirsty

  8 months ago

  My younger sister wrote a poem for me when I was going through a rough time in university. I wasn't able to see my own beauty and self-worth but her words rhythmically captured my all that I am. I cherish that piece.
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  Nia

  8 months ago

  I'm very blessed. I've gotten alot of material things. What means the most to me was hearing my father say "I love you" before he died. My dad had been going through dementia and didn't recognize my mom when she came to visit him in the nursing home he was in. It hurt her deeply and she tried to prepare me before I visited him. The day we went over, the nurse also came and explained to me that my dad was very frail (in comparison to how he looked before) and that he couldn't really open his eyes or speak. When I walked in his room and saw him, I was so brokenhearted. I didn't recognize him at all. I burst into tears and called a friend who told me to collect myself and spend some time with my dad. I did. I just sat next to him and talked to him, not knowing if he could hear me - sure that he wouldn't be able to see me. But I kept talking, just like I would have if we were having a normal conversation. Suddenly, his eyes slowly opened and he looked directly at me. He knew exactly who I was, I could tell, but I asked to confirm and he kind of mumbled my name and made serious attempted at speech. Many of his words weren't clear, but I definitely heard "I love you". That was a miracle.
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  Jamie

  8 months ago

  What a gift. What a treasure that you had that beautiful moment with your father. Namaste.
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  Lisa D

  8 months ago

  Any of my 'good' jewelry is from my wonderful husband. The strand of pearls at our rehearsal dinner brought tears to my eyes!
  
  My parents gave me the priceless gift of unconditional love and self-worth.
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  Linda Borland-Fitzgerald

  8 months ago

  All rare and thoughtful gifts
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  Ashley

  8 months ago

  I was born on my grandpa's birthday. I was born nearly a month early so it was a surprise to everyone. We consider another year together the best gift every year.
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  Leah Graves

  8 months ago

  My cat Maximus. My aunt found him and his sister abandoned at 4 months old at her work dumpster. He's a dog-cat and has been the best cat I've ever had.
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  JoeM

  8 months ago

  My lovely wife and everything she's brought to my life.
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  CarrieM

  8 months ago

  lovely!
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  debbierodgers

  8 months ago

  A cord of firewood one cold, wet April. We ran out of wood for the furnace and we were flat broke.
  
  We had used our last log that morning and pictured ourselves huddled together & miserable for the next month. We received the phone call from friends that afternoon The unexpected gift blew us away.
  
  We were warm in more ways than one that spring.
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  weezie

  8 months ago

  Of course mine have to do with books.
  1) The Amazon Kindle I received from my husband for my birthday yesterday. The most amazing thing about this gift was that he thought it up and purchased it all on his own a month ago. He thinks that shopping for, buying, and wrapping presents is akin to Chinese Water Torture, so this was HUGE. It was even more incredible because I had called my daughter on Monday to tell her that I would love a Kindle for my birthday or Christmas.
  2) For Christmas when I was 10 years old, my single, childless aunt sent me TEN Bobbsey Twins books. This was over-the-top munificence and (up until yesterday) has always been my answer when asked about my favorite gift.
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  LaLou

  8 months ago

  Weezie,
  After working on a client's project on the weekends, my employer surprised me with a Kindle two weeks ago for my hard work!!! I am completely obsessed with the Kindle but I think the greatest part of that gift was feeling acknowledged and appreciated by my employer. Especially in this time of financial trouble I'm grateful to have an amazing job and work with people who support and mentor me.
  Have fun with your Kindle!!!
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  Linda Borland-Fitzgerald

  8 months ago

  As a book lover too, I wonder how it (the Kindle) feels to hold onto vs. the feel of turning pages and using a favourite bookmark. Seriously, I am considering asking for one as a gift too and want these questions answered by a real book lover. I'm very tempted.
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  weezie

  8 months ago

  Linda - I also had the same concern, but it is quite comfortable to hold. I have slight arthritis in my hands and they get cramped after a while when I read; this hasn't happened with the Kindle. I thought I would miss the visceral feel of paper, but I don't. I've never become attached to any bookmarks (and, slap-on-the-wrist, tend to dogear on occasion) so I love the auto-bookmark feature.
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  Daniel Gibbons

  8 months ago

  I'm jealous. In Canada we still can't get the Kindle (even if you order one from Amazon US, I believe it only works on the Sprint wireless network). Whenever we travel I always want to bring three or four books with me, but they're the first things to get jettisoned when the suitcases fill up.
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  Linda Borland-Fitzgerald

  8 months ago

  I just read Daniel Gibbons post and he says it's not available here in Canada?? Oh well... good to know that it's worthwhile AND maybe more of the 'kinks' will really be worked out by the time it is available here. Thanks for your critique...
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  Ginger

  8 months ago

  I feel blessed to have received many wonderful gifts but two I have received hold the most meaning and both came my way on the same Christmas. A Diamond and a little Wood: My two sisters and I lost both my Mother and Grandmother within a few years of each other, 20 years ago. Losses which have left holes in my heart that have never quite healed. My sister Barbara took my mother's Engagement Ring which she sometimes wore and had the diamonds taken out and re-made into a bracelet for me, a necklace for my other sister and a ring for herself so we all could share an important piece of something my mom treasured. On that same day my sister Linda gave us each a wooden stool like one my grandmother had which had sat for years next to a little organ we all used to play on when we were kids. Both came with wonderful poems and needless to say there were many tears shed over the great memories we shared of two wonderful women.
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  suzie leith

  8 months ago

  My three beautiful children - without a doubt my greatest gift - now and forever!
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  marn

  8 months ago

  A letter from my husband after he took a series of 'self-awakening' courses telling me how awesome I am, all the things he loves about me, and what a huge difference I make in his life, and our kids lives. :-)
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  Mary

  8 months ago

  I received one of the greatest gifts in my life last night. I was driving on a side road when I lost control of my car due to a front tire that actually broke off the axle. The force of the breakage caused me to hit a parked truck, which left me driving a few more feet basically on metal with sparks flying. When all was said and done, I was fortunate enough to have amazing people come out of their homes to help, and almost immediately felt gratitude that no one was hurt, that I wasn't driving on a freeway when it happened, and that this did not occur last week when my daugher had borrowed my car while I was out of town. She has two beautiful children and had driven them around all week in a car that was apparety destine to loose its front tire. The gifts from this event are many and I am filled with gratitude.
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  DanielleLaPorte

  8 months ago

  wow. amazing story - and so fresh. a good reminder to everyone to be grateful for...everything. blessings to you...
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  Daniel Gibbons

  8 months ago

  No contest - my daughter, Imogen.
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  Ellen

  8 months ago

  Learning to read. It has made everything possible.
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  Carolynn

  8 months ago

  How profound and poignant. Reading is one of my most treasured pastimes. It truly does open worlds and I am genuinely thrilled and excited for you!
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  Linda Borland-Fitzgerald

  8 months ago

  Was this learning, as an adult? If yes, it's an especially wonderful gift and you are very brave..
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  claudia Segovia

  8 months ago

  In a very difficult time of my life: broke, stressed to the max by my own biz and trying to raise my 2 kids on my own, no sleep, etc, etc. My sister gave for my birthday a cupon that included:
  
  - Friday babysitting over night and during saturday morning.
  - The most wonderful facial EVER (2 hrs)
  - Dinner with my friends.
  - Saturday morning: Full body massage!!
  
  It was the BEST GIFT EVER!!!!
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  Jamie

  8 months ago

  My husband. Hands down. I think the Universe every day.
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  stella

  8 months ago

  A surprise trip to Mexico.
  So romantic and fabulous!
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  K.

  8 months ago

  My cat and my guitars.
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  Danielle

  8 months ago

  I would have to agree with that one, my cat Loata was a gift this year as was my epiphone sg.
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  Susie Hutchinson

  8 months ago

  My daughter, Imogen. After the death of my first child, she brought me back to life.
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  Trina

  8 months ago

  an invitation to attend a ladies that launch event in toronto this year where I saw Carrie and Danielle speak...I am now working my way in thier book to get my own style statement...fabulous happinstance!
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  CarrieM

  8 months ago

  I am touched by your words.
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  Jill

  8 months ago

  A birthday gift of a hairbrush from my then 5-year-old son. I normally hate practical presents, but he noticed my brush had broken and I simply hadn't had time to replace it. I had never said anything out loud -- I certainly didn't ask for it. It was simply the fact that he had, at 5, had noticed.
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  MoJo

  8 months ago

  When my daughter was born with a cleft palate, it made for a crazy/stressful first few weeks. Our families were kind enough to give us the space to deal with it, and rallied together to help us out financially (there's nothing worse than having to worry about parking costs at the hospital when you're trying to be with your baby in NICU). I felt so blessed...
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  Suzyn

  8 months ago

  My engagement ring. My then-boyfriend very subtly asked enough questions to figure out exactly what I would like, then went to his mom's family jeweler, who let him into the back and brought out trays of diamonds and rubies for him to choose from. He picked the stones and designed the setting. Then, the night after he paid for it, I had an amazing, beautiful, abstract dream about diamonds and rubies. He decided I was reading his mind, so he put up a smokescreen - we had been talking quite a bit about getting married, and all that stopped. Any time I mentioned marriage or weddings or growing old together, he pretended to be grumpy. Fine, I said to myself. It's been moving pretty fast - I'm happy with where we are right now. Then he took me to Paris and proposed under the Eiffel tower. We just celebrated our 7th anniversary, and I still get chills when I think of how romantic that was.
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  Lynn

  8 months ago

  I received the same gift from each of my parents at two different times. They each told me to follow my heart and to do what I thought was best in a situation. I was 18 when my mother said this to me and in my early thirties when my father did. My father had loyalties in one direction and he knew I was headed in another. This was the best gift he ever gave to me - the freedom and encouragement to do what I thought was best for me and my family.
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  candylee

  8 months ago

  A scrapbook and book of messages from some of my closest friends that came at just the right time - when I was feeling overworked and burnt out.
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  Carolynn

  8 months ago

  I've received a lot of amazing gifts, both tangible & intangible. However, if I were to pick just one that I had to label "Best", it would be the fee my Mom paid for me to attend a personal development course 2 years ago. It was instrumental in helping to remove the veil that had clouded my vision since childhood and allowed me to live more authentically and with more passion & joy, to have the courage to set boundaries and to see myself as fully capable.
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  Rick_Juliusson

  8 months ago

  While backpacking across Central Africa, I ran out of money and my credit card had expired. Ever the romantic opportunist, I "befriended" a Peace Corps volunteer who took me to her village and fed my hungry body and spirit for a month. Then she ran out of money, during a one-week trip to visit another friend. While stopping over at the district capital, promising the hotel owner that we'd somehow pay, a letter that was supposed to go to another city was by some miraculous error at this post office. A letter from her grandmother, with a $50 bill that kept us going for another 2 weeks.
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  alligator_kate

  8 months ago

  My education from so many transformative teachers who will never know what a difference they have made in my life. I am also grateful to my parents for investing in my education.
  
  As far as material things go, there is an old photograph from the 1930's that is of my great grandparents and grandmother, along with other revelers in a bar in Cuba. It is the only photo of the 3 of them together that survived. It is a great photo in and of itself, and I love it. I coveted it for years, and my mother finally gave it to me.
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  Tina

  8 months ago

  a Norfolk Pine - because the Christmas tree lots were all sold out and my beloved at the time knew I was crushed. It was exam time. There was a knock at the door, I opened it....and there was a giant $300 Norfold Pine from Sicklemores!
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  aceofsomething

  8 months ago

  My Cat. he's a gift in the "from the heavens" category rather than the "from someone" sense of the word. He's my source of love and comfort every day.
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  kelsey

  8 months ago

  My two amazing children, Quinlon and Deacon.
  
  And the recent gift I gave myself...the permission to leave a toxic job that was stressing me to the point of nearly constant illness to instead pursue my entrepreneurial dreams.
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  Constance

  8 months ago

  So many, but memorable were: a fat tire teal bike right after the birth of my second daughter; a gorgeous necklace and brooch that was handcrafted by an elegant Upper East Side designer, which arrived on a snowy Christmas Eve , from my second husband, Joe; and a dishwasher when
  we moved into our first owned home. Best of all : my three kids, but of course!!!! They still are.
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  Laura A.

  8 months ago

  A year after buying a house with my boyfriend we looked at each other and realized that the relationship wasn't working. We'd sunk a lot into the proposition, but realized that we had to sell and move on. Unfortunately the market was bad and we couldn't sell and neither of us could afford to live there on our own. But once the decision was made we remembered why we liked each other in the first place. Our goals weren't similar but we could still be friends. And as studies have shown the fact that there was a loyal little dog in the mix helped us keep things working. It took 14 months to sell that house. And we postponed discussions of who would keep the dog until close to the end. The decision was difficult--Bandit had been with Mike since he was a pup but the dog and I had closely bonded in our time together. Then on my birthday Mike gave him to me. This generous gift broke his heart, I know, and I'll always be grateful, especially since a few months later I lost my job. I came out of all those stressful events relatively unscathed because at the end of every day I could look at that dog and know that I was loved.
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  laurie_matthews

  8 months ago

  Anything from my mom. She is always so thoughtful. And I love gifts of invitation - invitations from friends to spend weekends with them, invitations from friends to participate in meaningful events. I feel these are some of the most precious gifts I've ever received.
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  EcoDiva

  8 months ago

  Gifts from my nieces and nephew always hold a special place in my heart. AND the day of bliss at an amazing spa that my then boyfriend, now husband got for my 25th. That's the way to become transition from a boyfriend to a husband ;-).
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  cdemollerat

  8 months ago

  My gorgeous and unique Mitchell Whitney Turnbough engagement ring from my husband, and of course the unconditional love and the promise of forever that came along with it. The love part is - yay! - still intact and going strong, but alas I have lost the metal 'stone' from the ring and the designer seems to have gone out of business, and I miss it terribly. If we could figure out a way to have it replaced, we would be so happy. If anyone knows, please feel free to let me know - thank you!
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  Sue

  3 months ago

  if you locate this designer please contact me. I have a friend who would like to buy some of his jewellry.
  Thanks,
  Sue contact me @ (ssimonson42@sbcglobal.net)
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  Alicia

  3 months ago

  Please let me know as well! I loved his work but now the site is gone :(
  avana100@yahoo.com
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  Mitchell Whitney Turnbough

  3 months ago

  Dear cdemollerat - I am delighted that the ring I designed brought you so much joy. I am sorry to hear that your stone is missing. My company is still in business, currently concentrating on private client work. Please contact me at my personal email address and I will make arrangements to replace your lost stone: mitchell@mitchellturnbough.com. Truly, Mitchell Whitney Turnbough.
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  Celise

  8 months ago

  A year or so ago, I was doing a booksigning at a local farmers market. A woman that had previously bought my books for her nieces came up to me and said "My nieces created a play from one of your books and performed it at their church."
  
  When I'm going through writer's block or letting negative thoughts get to me, it's comments such as those that remind why I love to write and who I love to write FOR.
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  mary b

  8 months ago

  Last Christmas my then 11 year old daughter bought me a months worth of meals donated to an African orphan, through the "10 Thousand Villages" charity. As she have the chance to save much money, this represented quite an investment. I was sooo proud of her.
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  Elisabeth

  8 months ago

  This one is difficult to answer; I have received so many wonderful gifts. I would say, of non-tangibles, the greatest gift was my parents' offer to pay for my college education with no strings attached. The freedom to "find myself" away from home was priceless and has been invaluable. In the world of stuff, for our wedding my stepmother gave us an unbelievably beautiful quilt for our king-sized bed. The labor, the design, the creativity, the sheer beauty and generosity of her gift overwhelm us. She has given me quilts before - it's her hobby - but this one outshines them all.
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  Amy Guth

  8 months ago

  My friends, a couple themselves, gave me the gift of their spare bedroom, without charging me a cent of rent ("We're paying for the house whether you're there or not.") during one of the worse times in my entire life. They put no frame on the gift, only that I could move into the room when I felt ready, and stay as I needed. As a result of their kindness, I made perhaps the largest change of my entire life, and the worst time, in retrospect, was the single biggest turning point.
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  JulieG

  8 months ago

  When I was a kid, my grandmother had an antique sampler teaset. Essentially, door-to-door salesmen would carry around these tiny replica teasets of their stock so that they could show it to customers. This one was hand-painted, blue with a flower motif, and absolutely gorgeous. My grandmother would let me sit on her bed and play with it, if I asked nicely.
  
  I got it as my 18th birthday present.
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  gayla

  8 months ago

  A cross necklace from my grandma - it's a cheap, plastic piece of costume jewelry, but she wore it next to her heart everyday. It makes me feel like she is still with me.
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  Carol Z

  8 months ago

  When my daughter was in kindergarten, her class made paper daffodils for Mother's Day. On each petal, the children wrote something. My daughter wrote I love you in the middle, & on each petal things like you hug me, you buy me toys, etc. I still have that daffodil (she's 19 now) & will never part with it. It's precious because it came from her heart.
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  Kaiulani

  8 months ago

  My mother gave me antique diamond earrings after the birth of my daughter 14 years ago.
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  Cobby

  8 months ago

  My wedding ring is the best gift I've ever received because it was given to me by three of the four most important people in my life and because it will be passed along to another one of the most important people I expect to have in my life. My grandmother had intended to give me her diamond wedding ring for my engagement ring, but my aunt took it when she died. When my boyfriend was ready to propose, he told my parents and my mother gave him her own diamond given to her by my father. Although I couldn't have my grandmother's diamond, I now have my mother's to pass down to my oldest grand-daughter and it is set amidst beautiful diamonds picked for me by my husband.
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  Linda Borland-Fitzgerald

  8 months ago

  A popular question...
  My best gift, and I truly see it this way, was the profound 'nudge' to explore a medical situation, just over a year ago. To be succinct here, I have had a series of surgeries since then, (latest was one week ago today) that I truly believe saved my life. Always pay attention to 'nudges' or 'gut feelings.' They happen for a reason..
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  Storyteller

  8 months ago

  Sixteen long stemmed red roses on my sixteenth birthday.
  From my Papa.
  I felt so grown up, so validated, so beautiful. So cherished. Sometimes that man just got it right.
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  Angela

  8 months ago

  Any gift of books or giftcards to a bookstore.
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  Tao

  8 months ago

  A Cartier panthere ring for my 25th b-day from myself. Love IT.
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  mitcherline

  2 months ago

  the best gift l have ever received that my parents bring me to this world.
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