“When I look at the elephant, I see my aunt and the day she gave it to me. I had so much excitement when I first saw it, and I look at it the same way I did when I first got it.”
When Janet was a young adolescent, she really wished she had a piggy bank.
I would always talk about how I wanted a piggy bank and what color I wanted and how big I wanted it. I was a bit older, so I didn’t know if I would get one.
For her twelfth birthday, Janet received “Eli” the Elephant as a gift from her aunt, on display here.
When my aunt gave me this gift, it wasn’t anything at all how I wanted it. It was better! It didn’t matter what other gifts I received because I only cared about my piggy bank. I thought it was the perfect gift I could have received from my aunt. She knew me well and knew exactly what would have made me happy and grateful to receive.
Janet cherished the gift, caring for it as best she could.
I hated seeing how dusty it would get, so I would clean it twice a week. I would get a paper towel and spray a little bit of Windex and gently clean my elephant.
The gift was particularly meaningful because Janet spent a lot of me with her aunt, and they shared a close bond.
My mom had to work two jobs when I was growing up, so I spent a lot of time with my aunt.
Today the bank is in less than pristine condition when Janet’s sister borrowed Eli as a visual aid to help teach children at a local church about God giving us our most valuable treasures, the piggy bank was accidentally broken.
When this happened, I was so upset I didn’t know what to say or do. I went back to my room and began crying. This elephant bank meant the world to me and everyone in my family knew that. I felt like she shattered my heart and my memories. I didn’t realize that the elephant bank meant that much to me until my sister gave it back to me in pieces.
The bank had become particularly meaningful because Janet’s aunt passed away suddenly, soon after giving the elephant bank as a gift.
I still take good care of it and clean it as oen as I can. I still don’t like to see it look dusty and not sparkle, so I gently clean it. I feel like if I let it go, I am letting a piece of my memory of my aunt go. I am not ready to let her go, even though it has been years since she passed away. It is just a lile reminder of how beautiful my aunt was. Keeping the elephant bank is like keeping a piece of her with me, always.