The Seventh Vase

Mary and Tom Turner owned a house in California. Because of the beautiful weather throughout the year, Mary would pick several bouquets of flowers each week and scatter them throughout her home. Mary owned seven vases, but she only used six to hold her flowers. The seventh vase was named Victoria.

Victoria was a beautiful ceramic vase with handpainted flowers. The Turners didn’t appreciate Victoria’s beauty because her design was too antiquated for their modern style. So off she went into the guest room closet.

1 A Wedding Gift

For months, Victoria would make her way into the kitchen and plop herself onto the center of the island, hoping that Mary would allow her to hold flowers. Yet, the years flew by, and she never got her chance; she was simply put right back into the guest room closet. One morning, Victoria overheard Mary and Tom talking about their daughter’s wedding.

“Tom, how do you feel about us leaving the house to Elizabeth as her wedding present? We’ve always wanted to live full-time in our vacation house in the Dominican Republic anyway. Now’s the time to take the plunge!” Mary said with anticipation.

“I think that’s a great idea, but the wedding is in just four weeks!” replied Tom. “I say we just leave the house as it is. We’ll leave the furniture, décor, pots, pans, and all!” said Mary, giggling as she sipped her coffee. “Let’s give it a go! Get Ellie downstairs to see how she feels about this,” Tom said as he turned the page of his newspaper and took a bite of his bagel.

2 Love At First Sight

At that point, Elizabeth was still living at home with her parents, as was her fiancé Jeff, so when they found out that her parents offered the house as their gift, Elizabeth and Jeff were both shocked and elated! Soon after, Elizabeth returned from her honeymoon. Her parents had left for their new home weeks ago, so Elizabeth and Jeff got busy rearranging the home to their liking. Eventually, Elizabeth made her way into the guest room and found Victoria.

Elizabeth was in love! She had never seen such a well-crafted, beautiful vase. Elizabeth picked a breathtaking bunch of yellow flowers and filled Victoria with splendid natural beauty. She placed Victoria atop the center of the kitchen island, and that’s where Victoria victoriously remained, untouched, as the star of the show.

3 Have Confidence In Yourself

Moral of the story: Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Sooner or later, someone who appreciates your beautiful traits will come along. Victoria was such a beautiful vase, but for years, no one appreciated her beauty. At first, she fought to get the attention she deserves. Nevertheless, after dozens of unsuccessful attempts, Victoria accepted her fate as the unappreciated beauty.

However, fate had other plans for Victoria. Elizabeth came along and saved Victoria from her darkness and gave her the attention she deserves. To Elizabeth, Victoria was the star of the show; no other vase could compare. Everyone has times when they feel unappreciated. If you allow it, this feeling can bring your mood and self-confidence down to the floor; however, if you have confidence in yourself, the opinions of others will simply roll off your back.

4 We All Look For Acceptance

The opinion you have of yourself is the only one that matters. It is possible to lead a lively and abundant life without the approval of others. After all, what do they know? They’re all just in the same circle you are at this moment; they’re all just trying to find acceptance.

But you’re different. You have the power to walk out of this vicious circle of judgment and tell yourself that it’s okay to be who you are! Whether someone thinks you’re beautiful, stylish, sophisticated, or smart is of little importance. If you believe these things about yourself, confidence will ooze from your being, and those around you will begin to see you in a new light. One day, someone will come to appreciate all of your beautiful traits and unique quirks.