Many years ago, I made a necklace for a friend who was going through a hard trial in her life. It was a simple string of beads which I had strung in a specific order to relay a secret message. Each color bead represented a letter in the alphabet and her necklace spelled out part of the chorus to the Beatles song, "Here Comes The Sun". It was just for her to wear and remember that brighter days were ahead.
This is how I started making jewelry. The things I made were gifts for people I loved or for myself and all of it had an element of sentiment.
Fast forward to last week. I received an order for my Just Keep Swimming Bracelet which included the following note:
Dear Kelly Annie,
Please send this lovely bracelet to a very dear friend and part time superhero.
She is the best kind of superhero- one that doesn't know they are a true hero. :-)
She is caring for her father who has cancer and her mom who has Alzheimer's -
adding that to being a wife,a mom,a wonderful friend.
Thank you, S.J.
Of course, a bracelet isn't going to make her burden lighter, but it will remind her to keep her chin up and that she can endure hard times. And, more importantly, that she has friends who love and support her.
This is exactly what is meant when I say "Handmade jewelry with soul". It's the why of what we are trying to do and I just love hearing back from people who understand.
Beautiful in its looks and it’s meaning.