A Charming Fresh Start

I was given a charm bracelet as a little girl from my mom for a birthday once. It was very special because #1: my mother picked it out for me and #2: it was full of really fancy and fun charms; they were all silver. Unfortunately, I was wearing it and it fell off. I had no idea that I had lost it until late at night, I was very upset. I had always wanted to get a new charm bracelet as I grew up. Anyway, years later after I had grown up and after meeting my future husband at a mutual friends wedding dance, we finally became engaged to be married. We had lived away from our parents when we became engaged. At this time in our new lives we had the privilege of having two bridal shower events. It was lovely because my husbands family decided to have a ‘Jack and Jill Shower’ for us, this way they could throw a larger party in both of our honor and include many family members that would not be able to travel the eight hours for the actual wedding. Well, my fiancée had seen so many cousins and other family members that he had not seen in so long, and I was introduced to so many new faces. At the end of our day and our shower we all cleaned up the hall where it took place and headed back to my future in-laws home. The sun had set and we were in their backyard enjoying a small bon-fire when my husband’s mother brought out a meaningful little gift for us to share. She had been talking with her other children about a small gift they could give us to help remember our. One of my future sister-in-laws came up with this charm idea and they had gone in together to get us a very special and memorable collection. They had chosen three separate charms that brought Donny and I together; they were the silver beads alpha ‘C’, and the silver beads alpha ‘D’, and in between these two charms was a “Love Knot” charm. The alphabet charms are all silver, I believe sterling silver with a big ‘C and D’ on each of them inside a square. The ‘love knot’, (that is what my future mom-in-law called it) is also sterling silver with a gold circle and a small amethyst on this bead. They had it pinned to a satin white pillow with white ribbons dangling from the center, just like the type ring bearers will carry down the aisle at a wedding ceremony. My mom-in-law to be is quite emotional and this all brought her to tears, even though she put it all together. She became so overwhelmed with her second son getting married and how well the day had just gone that we all agreed this gift really summed up the whole day as described above. We did not remove those little beads from that pillow, we still have it just as it was received because it is so very special, it is displayed in our curio cabinet with our other valuable possessions, it’s still pure white and untouched.

From this celebration, we move forward about a month; two days prior to our wedding date my family threw me a traditional bridal shower, only women eating food, bringing gifts and positive advice. Again, this day was so nice; my mother and sister had picked fresh flowers to clip in material to decorate the house with, they made plenty of yummy food and had invited multiple women to come and join in from all over. We had so much fun opening those presents, playing silly games, and eating that food. The day was really fun and perfect. I had received many of the traditional type of bridal shower gifts: lingerie, sweet-nothing books giving advice on how to ‘keep the romance alive’, new towels, glassware, baskets etc. My really close friends that were my bridesmaids had not yet flown in for the wedding; they had done a planning strike for a gift though. They were very familiar with how my charm bracelet was lost as a child as I had shared this with them in college on different occasions. Because they were not there, my mother had this secret little gift hidden away from the other tower of gifts. After I was done opening these presents and the whole group had a chance to see all the wonderful things, my mother brought forth this semi-large box and said nothing. I opened the card that had a handwritten note from the ‘group’ of away girlfriends that detailed some lovely memories. I then opened the box and they had each chosen a different charm for me with their own special meanings to them. My friend Anna gave me a blue glass bead charm, she wrote her own little explanation that she hoped my new marriage would be a new treasure everyday. My friend Tia gave me a sterling silver champagne swirl Pandora charm, she felt it represented hospitality and that people are welcome into our home and life, her hope was that we would always have open arms to those close and far away from us. My friend Angie, gave me a green glass bead in the hope that we would always have enough financial stability to not be in crisis, want or need. The three of them then gave me a cumulative gift; it is very meaningful because after we graduated from college and knew we would go our separate ways around the world we promised to get together for a girls weekend every single year. So, the sterling silver beads dangle flip flop charm was what they chose because we usually get together someplace warm. I had to use one of those new towels to dap some emotional tears away; this gift was very touching to me, and it was full of thought and love. All these charms were on a new Pandora bracelet; I had no clue what that word ‘pandora’ meant until they flew in for my wedding and explained the Pandora charms company.

- Cheryl O.