Amy:
I have a necklace that my mom gave me. The necklace is important to me because my mom gave it to me for my first communion and it’s a locket with a picture of mom. I wear it to have my mom always close to my heart.

Catherine:
I have a ring that I wear everyday, and my mom actually has a matching one. A few years ago, we were on a trip to Italy and on one of the last days we went to the Vatican. There's a gift shop there and anything you buy you can get blessed by the Pope. Every pope designs a line of jewelry and other items to be sold at this store; one of Pope Francis's line is a beautiful rosary ring. It's a ring with 10 notches so you can pray the 10 Hail Mary's from the rosary, and it also has a Tau, which is a favorite symbol of Pope Francis. It also has the word "Humilis" inscribed on the inside, which is Latin for "humble" or "humility." It's my favorite piece of jewelry partly because it's something that my mom and I share, and I think of her every time I see it. It also is one of my favorite reminders of faithfulness holding on to faith and humility no matter what life throws at me.

Best Selling Graduation Gifts

Shop the Look

Elena:
When I was growing up, everyone I knew graduated from 8th grade.  It was a rite of passage.  It was a pretty big deal.  It typically involved a mass, certificates of completion were granted and awards were handed out.  Most followed it with a lunch or dinner with family and friends.  All the 8th graders dressed up in their best dresses for the girls and coat and tie for the boys.  The ‘graduate’ was showered with gifts and money to commemorate the occasion.  In short, it was a big deal for the ‘graduating’ 8th graders before they embarked on their high school career.
 
My youngest child, Amy, is about to ‘graduate’ from 8th grade.  While our school doesn’t do the elaborate ‘graduations’ that I grew up with, I find myself filled with many emotions as I think about her starting high school.  After raising 5 children, I can see the light at the end of the child rearing tunnel.  This is definitely a good thing, but it’s also bittersweet for me when I think about closing this chapter of my life.  
 
When I think about Amy, so often I think about what a sweet and happy little girl she has always been.  For Amy, every day has always been ‘the best day ever!’  When she was a very little girl,  she had some speech/language and developmental delays, but she was still the happiest little girl I’d ever seen. She was always smiling her big beautiful smile.  She is still always smiling (save for a few teenagery moments!).  In addition to those delays, Amy was diagnosed with a neurological disorder that affects her muscle control.

Shop the Look

​First of all, it is very difficult to decide on “the best thing” about my mom and grandmother. So many things come flooding to mind.
​ 
The best thing about my mom is her energy. My grandmother and I may have a difficult time keeping up with her, but we probably wouldn’t have gone on so many “adventures” together without her and all her plans. 

​The best thing about my grandmother is the way she takes care of her family, friends, and all who enter her house.  Not only is she a wonderful cook, but I could also call her my personal stylist. And I can’t even tell you how many people have told me how classy and elegant she is. ​

I have several special pieces I like to wear things that mean something or represent the people I love. (I’m pretty sure I’m that way because of my mom.)

My mom and I like the fact that the first letters of our names of our four generations are J, B, J, B. We also like to have pieces of jewelry that have family birthstones.  I actually made my grandmother a bracelet which included the letters and birthstones.  

The ring I always wear on my right hand has my birthstone (which is also my grandmother’s birthstone) and my son’s birthstone (which is also my great-grandmother’s birthstone); and to tie in one more family member, it was given to me by my mom. 

One other piece of jewelry that comes to mind, is a gold necklace which I wear on St. Patrick’s Day. It has a real four leaf clover within a clear glass marble (hence the reason I wear it on St. Patrick’s Day).  My great-aunt Nora (Josie’s sister) won it as a prize at school, and eventually gave it to my mom, who handed it down to me. Now, when my great-aunt talked to me about the necklace, she regarded it as just a small trinket; but to this little girl, it was a beautiful treasure and still is today. 

Becky - Mother of Joelle, Daughter of Josie, Grandmother of Bryce - All around wonderful person

Shop the Look

I would like to take this opportunity to thank my mom and grandmother for all of their love and support because I know I don’t thank them enough. I am still discovering all the small ways they have shown me their love by discovering the imprints they have left on me. ​

Shop these
Mothers Day Gift Ideas