A Box, A Jade Bangle, A Legacy: Excerpts from a Diary
This Mother’s Day, we begin with a story.
A quiet, heartfelt journey through time, told through the lens of a granddaughter who found more than just old photographs.
Tucked away in a forgotten box were keepsakes and memories she had never seen before. At the heart of it all: a jade bangle, passed from one generation to the next, carrying with it the love, the stories, and the strength of the women who came before her.
These are the pages of her diary.
“I found a box today. An old, forgotten thing, its corners frayed by time, its lid stubborn, as if it didn’t want to be opened. But I did anyway. Inside — Grandma’s photographs. Ones I’ve never seen before.
The room was silent, but I swear I could hear something — a whisper of her voice, maybe.
I think I’ll sit with these a little longer.”
“The first ones I picked up nearly took my breath away. She was young. I don’t know why that surprised me. Of course, she was.
This version of her, though — captured in sepia who looked impossibly young and glamorous and beautiful – was new to me.”
“Oh, this one was a bit of a surprise. Looks like a date night with Grandpa, or at least I hope it’s Grandpa, haha. Of course it was — they were so clearly in love. Only now, with time and distance, do I truly grasp how special their relationship was. Oooh, and the ILYSM bracelet paired with the bangle, Grandma had style.”
“This must be me as a toddler. Gosh I’m tearing up just looking at it. This is how I remember her — her gnarled hands, and mine resting in them. I would play with her jade bangle while curled up in her lap, lost in the comfort of her snuggles.”
“Three generations of us. Grandma, Mum, and I. By then, Grandma had passed her cherished jade bangle to Mum, who now wore it almost everyday. Grandma, stylish as usual, was adorned in another piece from her collection.
Mum told me that I cried trying to shoot this. LOL they had to pause it mid-way to let me nap. They were determined to get this shot, and I’m so grateful that we have it.”
“I’m wearing Grandma’s bangle today. The same one she gifted Mum, and now Mum has passed it on to me. It feels like a quiet, living connection to everything that came before. As I sit here, the memories of Grandma and the milestones that shaped our lives surround me.
The jade bangle rests on my arm, a constant thread that ties past and present together. I lightly touch it, and I can almost hear their voices. I wear it now at work, on days when I want extra strength and protection. It’s more than a piece of jewellery. It’s a way to honour the journey they paved for me. Through every chapter of life, this heirloom has been there, grounding them, and now me.”
Some heirlooms are made of gold and jade. Others are made of memory.
And some — like this one — are both.
Something beautiful is unfolding this April.