In my mid 30s, I was a single mom with a two-year-old, trying to make ends meet while running my businesses. I didn’t have extra money, and when my birthday came around, I would splurge on one special thing for my home. This lamp was one of those gifts to myself. I found it in an antique store in Willow Glen, San Jose. I remember it was around $800 — an absolute fortune to me at the time — but I bought it as a reminder of my journey and my strength. I never want to forget those tough years, how I figured everything out, and how even when I had nothing, I still felt grateful. Grateful for a roof over our heads, grateful for the people who loved us, grateful for the chance to build a life from scratch. Most people had no idea how hard it really was; on the outside it looked like I was thriving. Inside, it was one step at a time. This lamp has been in storage for 10 years, and I can’t even explain what it means to unwrap it again, shine it up, turn it on, and place it in our new mounta...