Pearls

These pearls were a gift from my beloved MeeMaw many years ago. They were the first piece of jewelry that I ever owned that made me feel like a grown up. Not cheap, plastic, painted-to-look-like pearls, but real hand-knotted pearls. They have offered confidence when worn for job interviews, a feeling of sophistication when worn to weddings, and made average, ordinary outfits on average, ordinary days seem special. I'm sure that they were not from the rarest of oysters, nor were they the most expensive set of pearls ever sold. Their special meaning lies not in what they are but in the woman who gifted them to me. 

MeeMaw passed away last Saturday and our world seems a little less bright. She was truly a special woman, one of the kindest and most sincere you would ever meet. To simply say that she will be missed seems such an understatement for she leaves behind a void that cannot be filled. It breaks my heart to know that my daughter will never know the safety and absolute love in one of MeeMaw's hugs. One day, I will pass these pearls on to her and do my best to make sure that she knows just how special they are and just how amazing the woman they came from was.

Tomorrow, I will fasten these pearls around my neck once again, only this time to lay MeeMaw to rest. I'll ask more from them than ever before. I'll look to their smooth feel and reassuring weight to get me through one of the toughest days I can recall in a long time. I'll ask them to remind me that I'll always have a part of her with me. She was so loved and will always be.