Beauty in my Spanish Vase

When I was growing up we moved around a lot. A lot. And I have this memory of my mother carrying this precious white vase in her lap, wrapped in a towel, and I remember it being in every house or apartment we ever lived in – always front and center. It was from Spain and she was very fond of it and so am I.

Here is a photo of my mom holding me and the rest of my brothers and sister in front of the vase – notice its ornate top – completely intact – before it smashed into a million pieces.

I inherited the vase from her, and precious it is. I even inherited the million pieces of the top that I took one look at and knew could never be put together again. When the top broke, someone suggested to my mom to use it as a flower vase and she said, “I could never do that.” But that is how we use it, as a flower vase – here are my favorite flowers, peonies, in the precious beautiful vase, which is front and center in our home: