Simple gifts have special spot in moms' hearts

By Zenaida Serrano Espanol
Advertiser Staff Writer

Carol Wong's son, Corey, now 25, made this clay figurine as a Mother's Day present for her when he was in the third grade. Eugene Tanner • The Honolulu Advertiser

A lumpy, green clay dish that somewhat resembles the shape of a heart. Or a Christmas tree topper, made with construction paper and gold glitter, whose sparkle has faded over the years.

These are the gifts that moms often receive. Some given for Mother's Day, some for Christmas, some for Valentine's Day and some just because — all gestures of appreciation and unconditional love from little ones.

We asked our readers to share the stories of these trophies of motherhood, and dozens responded with heartfelt tales. Here are just a few:

Among the fine collectibles in Carol Wong's glass curio cabinet is one clay figurine painted pink, yellow, brown, light green, light blue and dark blue. It is a little man in a sitting position.

Her son, Corey, now 25, made it as a Mother's Day gift back in the third grade.

Wong, of Hawai'i Kai, wrote about the moment her son presented his masterpiece to her nearly two decades ago.

"His dirty little fingers held the man like some ancient, unearthed treasure," she wrote. "My heart pounded as my eyes focused on the shiny man. He glistened in the light, and Corey's face was equally illuminated.

"I cannot tell you how much this piece means to me, because my son put so much effort into making it special ... The funny thing is, even though my other collectibles are very expensive and handmade by gifted artists, none can measure up to the artwork of a rambunctious young third-grader eager to please his mom."

Like Wong, Barbara Bradbury of Red Hill also treasures a clay creation made by her son Jesse, now 24, when he was in the second grade.

The forest green-colored dish is shaped like a heart and sits on a shelf in Bradbury's bathroom, filled with her favorite everyday jewelry. The heart reads, "I love you Mom and Dad. Jesse." It was given to Bradbury and her then-husband as a Valentine's Day gift.

Bradbury said she remembers how excited her son was when he gave her his gift, which was wrapped in tissue paper.

"I already knew I would love it no matter what it looked like," Bradbury wrote. "I unwrapped this magnificent green clay object, and my eyes filled with tears. Jesse thought I didn't like what he had made. Little did he know how much love I felt for (him) and his heart-shaped gift."

Bradbury said she imagined how her son's little hands pounded, molded and carefully created the work of art years ago.

"It still holds a deep and cherished memory because his parents had celebrated a wedding anniversary on that special occasion," she wrote. "Although we are no longer married, Jesse's gift will last a lifetime and so does his love."

Jane Higa of Hawai'i Kai proudly displays mementos from her children every holiday on the family's Christmas tree. Higa's son Tracy, now 36, made an ornament out of sections of an egg carton, gold glitter and an orange pipe-cleaner hanger in 1970 when he was 4. In 1973, his 4-year-old sister Jocelyn, now 33, created a star tree topper out of white construction paper and gold glitter.

Although Higa's children are now living on their own, their ornaments continue to decorate the family Christmas tree every year, Higa said.

"My daughter has told me a number of times that I should get a new decoration for our treetop, but I tell her each time that her star becomes more precious every year and I will never replace it," Higa wrote. "They may not be the most expensive and fancy ornaments or beautiful to most people who see them, but to a mother, they are so very beautiful and special."

For Mary Leandro of Maunawili, a clay sculpture of a yellow cat reading a book has been one of her most cherished gifts. It was a combination Mother's Day and birthday gift from her daughter Darlene, now 32, when she was in the fourth grade. The cat is special, Leandro said, because it symbolizes one of her many loves.

"I (have) always loved to read, and when my children were born I tried to instill that love in them," Leandro wrote.

Although the cat has had several "homes" throughout the Leandro household over the years, including a desk where it now sits, Leandro said it will always be out and on display somewhere in the home.

On the other hand, one of Rosina Moanauli Valencia's many motherhood treasures was, until very recently, stored away in a drawer for many years. The gift was a vase made from a Coke bottle and festooned with brightly-colored pieces of paper. It was her daughter Melanie's first Mother's Day effort, made when Melanie was 3 years old.

"In my proud, loving mother's eyes, it was better than Waterford, more precious than Lalique, far superior to anything the glassblowers of Venice could produce," Valencia wrote.

Valencia, of 'Aiea, recently remarried and was gathering her belongings from her previous residence when she came across the vase in a drawer.

"I gently held it to the light, turned it around and smiled," Valencia wrote. "Many memories tumbled out because the vase represented some of Melanie's firsts: her first as a school student, her first as a creative person and her first as an independent person."

For Valencia, every Mother's Day is celebrated with love and joy, she said, but this Mother's Day will be a little bittersweet since Melanie, now 24, lives and works in New York.

"But our love transcends distance," Valencia wrote, "and I will surely feel her presence that day."