Parenting Journals

By Diane Cullen

One of the best gifts I ever gave was a ceramic plate. Given to a dear friend on the occasion of her daughter’s baptism, the plate was hand-painted in pink and pale green and featured a cross, just as I had specified. The baby’s name and baptism date were spelled out in hand-drawn, whimsical letters. I can still recall that feeling of giddy anticipation as I waited for my friend to unwrap that plate. Here was a gift I would have made myself, just for my friend, if only I possessed the talent. Because I don’t, I did the next best thing: I asked a talented artist to personalize her work to my specifications and together we created a one-of-a-kind gift that I know my friend-and in time, her daughter-will cherish forever. After all, this gift was handmade just for them.

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