It's a Charmed Life

Look at the beautiful bracelet I got for my birthday!

For the longest time, there was part of me that would shudder at the idea of owning these ubiquitous bracelets, the little bracelets with plenty of room to continue to add to the collection of little charms and trinkets. There are endless choices and endless combinations and endless amounts of dollars that can be invested into them.  A practical side of me refused to buy into these charms because to me, they symbolized the next hot item that we all needed to have.  Like standing in line to get the newest toy or edition of an electronic gadget, I said no to being herded like blind consumer lambs to the corporate slaughter. 

 

On another level, I was noticing these on the wrists of every mother or grandmother.  Rather than viewing each charm as badges of honour, representing the characteristics and skills of the children they gave birth to and created, I saw them as a resignation to  motherhood whether we liked it or not.  I had refused to purchase a mini-van and further, the stick men families on the back windows of the mini-van based on this same principle. 

Yesterday, my kids and their cousins spent hours colouring and drawing elaborate versions of “Happy Birthday” on little home made cards folded from plain white 8.5” x 11” paper.  Then all in a line, they encircled me like a little bracelet, made me sit down and presented me with the single strand bracelet.  I was ambushed. Each child, one at a time, each presented me with their beautiful little card and then handed me a little white bag.  My 10 year old decided it was appropriate to give a charm with hockey sticks and a puck.  He says it was so hard for him to choose between that or a baseball since I love to watch him play both.  My 5 year old niece presented me with a stud called the “Rock Star” as she is the singer of our family. My 8 year daughter chose a little figure skate because we have finally found something that she loves; it was that or a “BFF” charm she claims.  My 7 year old niece says because she is my lover, there are 4 hearts on her charm.

 

 

So here I am gushing.  I get the brilliance of these charms, because to me, they are a representation of these special little people who have thought, contemplated and combed through thousands of different pieces to pick one that was perfect for them for me. They, at one point in their life, even if is just for this little moment, are my “lovers” or “best friends forever”, or my little musicians or my athletes. They are completely and utterly charming.