11/25/2025
So beautiful
After Mom died, my sisters and I sat at her dining table with three boxes of tangled jewelry, most of it cheap costume pieces from decades of birthdays and Christmases. We were supposed to be dividing it up, but instead we just kept crying over every little memory - the butterfly pin she wore to our school plays, the fake pearls from her first date with Dad, the gaudy ring we bought her with our allowance money when we were seven.
"We can't split this up," my sister whispered. "It's not about the jewelry, it's about her."
That's when I remembered seeing someone on Tedooo app turn their grandmother's jewelry into a family tree. I'd been browsing for craft ideas and shopping for handmade gifts when I stumbled across it. Downloaded the app again right there at Mom's table and searched until I found the tutorial. The crafter had even listed where she bought the shadow box frame and special adhesive.
Three weeks later, we unveiled it at Thanksgiving - Mom's entire jewelry collection transformed into this stunning tree of life. Each branch holds a different memory, from her wedding ring at the roots to our baby bracelets in the blooming crown. My teenage niece started crying when she spotted the charm bracelet Mom wore to every one of her soccer games.
Now instead of fighting over who gets what, we all have this beautiful reminder that Mom's love branches out through all of us. Already planning to make smaller versions for each sister using photos of the tree. Sometimes healing means creating something new from the pieces left behind. ❤️
