The fabulous Katie (I love her name!) over at
Can I Just Say... gave me the Keepsake Blog award. And can I just say that there must be something in the name that connects, because I always say "Can I just say." It's one of my favorite conversational segues. No, not like
GOB's . Ba da bum, I'm awesome.
Anyway.

Here are the rules:
1. Post a funny or sweet keepsake that tells something about you.
2. Pass award on to ten other bloggers you think are keepers.

For my birthday last year my Grandma asked me what I wanted. She told me that I could choose anything in her house. My grandma has some amazing and cool things, but after thinking about it I chose the two porcelain cats pictured above. I had loved those cats for as long as I can remember. Are they the most tasteful things? Mmmm, probably not. Do I care? Not a lick.
One of my favorite memories as a child was laying down to take a nap in my Grandma's living room and staring at these cats while she rubbed my back.
Of course, I used to want to play with those cats more than anything. But neither my mom nor my grandma would let me near them while they were in the room. But I was three, and no one was not going to stop me. After all, you can't monitor a three year old every second. They're like perpetual motion, and perpetual sneakiness.
Well one day, I was playing with the two cats, I think I was holding them by the neck and making them talk to each other. I've never been the coordinated person (except when doing ballet, but that's really another story) and the little one slipped from my hand and it's neck snapped. I froze, heartbroken.
Here I had broken one of my favorite things in the whole world doing something I
knew I wasn't supposed to be doing. I remember going to find myself the nearest corner and tucking myself in as tightly as I could so that I could cry out the heart break. Because part of my world had broken with the cat.
Pretty soon my Mom and Grandma came to find me. They also found the broken cat. I remember just sobbing "I'm sorry" over and over again. I couldn't say it enough. Finally, my Grandma took me in her arms and said,
"
Don't you know that I love you more than any of my possessions? Besides, I think this cat can be fixed."
That's what I remember when I look at these cats. Being held, and being told that I was loved more than any possession. What a gift.
Even though I lost my Grandma last Fall, her love lives on with me in a million ways. And I'm so glad I have these two little reminders.
I think you all of you who read this are beyond fabulous. Seriously. It's not just my late night euphoria talking. But in the spirit of this, I will tag ten of you:
HazelnutJust a Small Town Girl
Bubblegum DiariesSciolistBlonde BlogshellAdventures in ChinaI Totally Forgot You Go HereJ.MelThoughtsLost in Lobsterland