Charmed Life

First off, let me say I am not only stealing a page directly from Ragged...I am also stealing her title. Plagiarism is the sincerest form of flattery. She posted about her charm bracelet a few days ago and it inspired me. Now you can believe me or not, but I had thought a few weeks ago that I should post this...especially as I know quite a few of you have daughters you could pass this tradition on to.

QM has a charm bracelet. I've always loved looking at it. She could tell the stories behind all the charms. It was one of my favorite things in her jewelry box, but something she almost never wore...and something I was never allowed to wear. Perhaps that's because of a few incidents involving lost jewelry...but that's another story in its self.

One year, long after Husband and I were married, QM commented on my charm bracelet. I told her I didn't have one & surprise, surprise, there was one waiting for me the next time I was at their house. It wasn't just a plain empty bracelet of links, it came complete with my life's history dangling from it.

The charms include a pair of tiny ballet slippers for the 2 years I was a ballerina (at 3 & 4 years of age), a miniature White House to commemorate my 11th grade trip to Washington DC where I marched in the National 4th of July parade (Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade it was not, but a fun trip none the less), a little color guard girl (from my 3 years in Marching Band...the reason I marched in the parade), a top hat & cane to represent my years on the stage with a local teen acting guild (where I befriended Zann), a graduate for obvious reasons, my high school pennant, because they called me Ladybug when I was a baby it sports one of those too, and finally a telephone for even more obvious reasons.

In the years since I've added an elephant because I collect them & was a tad obsessed at one point. QM & Daddy have added one charm for the birth of each of my babies. For BabyGirl it was a pram who's shade flips back & forth. For #1 Son, it was a tiny cradle (that reminds me a great deal of the one Daddy & G'pa M&M made for Princess & HT). B.B.'s is my favorite so far....it's a shoe...not just any old shoe, but the shoe where the "Little Old Woman" lives with all her children. If you flip the sole on the boot down, there she is with 3 little ones lined up behind her. And my latest charm is a turkey from our family vacation to Brown Co. Indiana 2 summers ago.

Much like Ragged and my mother, I rarely wear my bracelet. It's heavy & can get tangled easily or snag delicate clothing, but I adore it. I love the story it tells...how can I not, it's mine. I love the sound it makes & that I can keep my children entertained with it through most of the communion service at church. I love that my parents picked out each charm to remind me of a moment in my life.

Thanks for the reminder, Ragged.