Turtle Necklace

J got me a gift from her recent field trip - a necklace with a mother of pearl pendant shaped like a turtle. This would be the first time I have got such a gift from J and it felt very special. Small rite of passage in her life and mine. She would likely not remember anything about it in a few years but the turtle has found a home in my jewelry box. To me this is another "first" in her life - the oldest and the fondest memory being the first time she smiled at me. To J, it is just a pretty trinket she picked up at an aquarium gift shop.