"It's mine... My own... My precious..."

Another Fun Monday assignment, co-hosted by Karmyn R and an anonymous yet entertaining associate of Marnie's.

It was difficult to come up with just ONE precious thing - and as Pamela commented in the post below, the most precious is my daughter. But that's too easy.

Much like a gypsy (maybe therein lies my heritage, eh, Matt?) - I always wear several gold rings. A total of FOUR on my wedding finger (see the sapphires, Willowtree?), my Texas Aggie ring, my MBA ring, and then, my most prized - I've worn it on my left hand ring finger for almost 21 years.

I received this ring from my grandmother - my mother's mom. Before you get all in a twitter, I'm talking about the only family I've ever known - my adoptive family. My grandmother attended Marlborough School, a prestigious all-girls' high school in Los Angeles, CA. The inscription inside the ring is "BCM 1934," for Barbara Corinne Morrow - graduated in 1934. My grandmother sent it to me shortly before my own high school graduation in 1986. The crest and lettering were once clearly defined; they have worn down now, and the ring has taken on the shape of my finger. (By the way, I had to have a lot of help taking this photograph. It's nearly impossible to take a photo of your own right hand, and I don't have a fancy camera with a macro-lens like Ree's. The ring I'm talking about is the top one in this photo.)

My grandmother was articulate and wrote long letters to me over the years, discussing everything from current events to stories of her past. As the eldest of her granddaughters, even sharing her middle name, I felt very close to her - even though we lived many miles apart. I only saw her a few times after my family moved to Texas in 1976. The last time was during Christmas of 1992, when I flew to California to visit my parents, who were then serving as my grandparents' caretakers. Unfortunately, she was no longer completely lucid, and our conversations were limited by the onset of her Alzheimer's.

I started this post late last night - too late to phone my mom and ask more about my grandmother's past. I knew she had attended college, but couldn't remember where. I found a "missing alumni" entry for Barbara Morrow Weir at the Alpha Phi site, in the UCLA Beta Delta chapter, with a graduation year of 1938. I assume she married my grandfather during her college years. I remember hearing that she had also attended Cornell University, though I wasn't able to access their alumni site for verification.

I am extremely proud of my grandmother, as it was quite an achievement for a young lady to attend college during the Depression Era of the mid-1930's. The ring reminds me of the challenges she might have faced, as well as her determination to receive a quality education. I am honored to wear it each day, and it has given me courage to face adversity as I seek my own place in this world.

Oh! And I'm giving bonus points for those of you who can correctly name the movie character whose quote I used to title this post!