A few weeks ago a friend mentioned she would be selling handmade jewelry at a festival in Baltimore. Sarah is incredibly talented—she’s musical and artistic and a mother and so amazing in so many ways—so I was curious to see her work.
I don’t wear much jewelry, but when I visited her etsy site, I was immediately intrigued.
She had some unusual, lovely designs.
And some of her earrings and necklaces feature maps.
Who doesn’t love a map?
I especially like maps because they help us tell our children their stories. They help us remember their beginnings. In a small way, they help me feel connected to those who love them on the other side of the world.
I had an idea. Would it be possible, I asked my friend of 25 years (yikes!), for her to create a piece just for me?
I told Sarah the names of our sons’ hometowns in China. I asked her to create a necklace showing maps of those very special places.
Wonderful, creative friend that she is, she agreed. And last week she hand-delivered the necklace to me.
I absolutely love it. In just the first few days I’ve worn my necklace, I have found people are asking me about it.
I also love that at Mass on Sunday, our younger son kept reaching up to touch it and point to the city where he spent the first part of his life, a city we visited with him just days after we met him four years ago.