This guest blog post from Jennifer J. Chow is a beautiful reminder that our treasure lies in our hearts. The love we have for one another, passed down from generation to generation, is far more valuable than any diamond. Real Treasure, by Jennifer J. ChowWhen I was a kid, I would sneak into the walk-in closet in my parents’ master bedroom. If I tiptoed just right, I could reach the top of the dresser where my mom kept her jewelry box. At the time, I thought it was a treasure chest. I opened it up and there would be rings, bracelets, earrings. All of them glittered and sparkled in the light. As a child, I thought my mom’s treasure was something tangible. It was in the value of her jewels, all the gold and shiny things in her box. I grew older and revisited my mom’s jewelry box. Beyond the original sparkling treasure, I saw new ones. Necklaces made out of beads and macaroni. She had kept every one of my homemade Mother’s Day’s gifts to her. As a young adult, I figured out that my mother’s treasure was more intangible. What was treasure was how she cherished me. At last I had my own kids. One recent summer, my parents took my girls on an Amtrak trip. On this special occasion, my mom gave my older daughter a necklace to wear. I had forgotten about this particular treasure from her jewelry box. It was a stretchy necklace composed of beads—they were roses of different pastel colors. I remember really enjoying wearing it as a kid. In fact, it was just the right size for a child to wear. And why? I only recently found out that it had been given to her from her mother. As a parent, I realized that my mom’s treasure was a comprehensive love. This necklace, a token of affection, had been passed down from her mother to her, then down to me, and now to my daughter. My mom’s love looked ahead to the future and connected generations. When all is said and done, I realize that I was wrong about the jewelry box. Because what determines what treasure goes into a box? It’s the person. It was my mom who hand-selected all the pieces. She’s the real treasure. About Jennifer J. ChowJennifer J. Chow writes multicultural fiction with intergenerational drama. She lives in Los Angeles, California. Her short fiction has most recently appeared in Hyphen Magazine and Yay! LA Magazine. Her Asian-American novels include Dragonfly Dreams, The 228 Legacy, and Seniors Sleuth. Visit her author website: www.jenniferjchow.com
Website * Twitter * Instagram * Facebook * Goodreads Sign up for Jennifer's newsletter Read more from Jennifer in Dragonfly DreamsFrom Jennifer J. Chow, author of the award-winning The 228 Legacy, comes a young adult novel about immigrant struggles and family conflict. It’s 1880 in Fresno, California when 17-year-old Topaz Woo dies after giving birth. She can get an extension in a non-physical body—if she uses The Ten Commandments to influence her newborn. Over the course of ten years, she finds herself stymied in parenting by intergenerational drama and spiritual battle. Will she adjust to an otherworldly existence and give her daughter a solid foundation? Or will she become mired in family disputes and forfeit her soul to evil? Get it here: Amazon * Barnes & Noble * iTunes
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