I was after a reaction

It was December 2015, my mum recently had a heart attack, caused from getting Sepsis. She had gone through the mill that month. survived, against all odds. As always, she was fighting through, strong willed as ever.

Christmas was approaching and guess what, i had no clue of what to buy her, We would be spending Christmas by her bedside. She miraculously recovered and was doing well. Her 2 week stint in intensive care was over and had been transferred into a ward. This was my Christmas miracle.

I’m terrible at buying gifts for family / loved ones. I’m very simple when it comes to it and extravagant gestures is just not me. Add the fact she was in hospital, all she needed was drugs haha

Anyway, so i had no clue as i said. In reality, she had given me the biggest gift she could ever have given me, and that was to still be breathing. How could i top this? Her smile was to die for. It was big! She loved to smile and laugh. I’d tell her when her laugh was fake. she didn’t like it. So, the goal was to buy her something which would make her smile. Something that would take her breath away.

She loved simple but elegant Jewelry. BOOM! I found it. A silver necklace with a sparkly love pendent in the middle. I knew she would adore this. Deep in my heart however, i just knew this would be the last Christmas with her, I had spent the last 8 months seeing her deteriorate through illness and in my heart, i was losing my mum.

Although she had recovered, i knew this up in mood was down to the intense medication she was on and this was helping to give us the false impression of her fighting, but in reality, the drugs were doing it for her. I HAD to make this gift special, one that will bring out that joy in her

And there we have it, that beautiful smile of hers, following her opening up the box which had the necklace in it

I will never see this smile again in person, but boy, this is ingrained in my heart!