Today is Teacher Appreciation Day at our school (thank you teachers!) and that got me thinking about a book I made awhile ago to show my appreciation for another special person in my life.

In 2006 we had the wonderful opportunity to live in Shanghai, China for 4 months.  I was incredibly fortunate to find a terrific local ayi (nanny), Lisa, to help me out with my kids who were 1 & 3 at the time.  She was everything you could hope for – patient, loving and kind with a positive attitude thrown on top of all that.

When the time came to say goodbye it was truly a bittersweet day.  As soon as we returned home I knew I wanted to create something special for her, so that none of us would forget this unique period of time when she shared her little corner of the world with us.

I put together this book and sent it over the pond so she could have a little keepsake of our time spent together.  She touched our family and hearts so much, I hoped this gift would be a small symbol of how grateful we were to have met her.  Happily, we have stayed in touch and every time I have returned to visit, I make a point of spending time with Lisa.

If you have a special person like Lisa in your life why not gather up those iPhone snapshots (or take a few!) and make a personalized gift to let them know how much they mean to you.