By Staff
I peered into a few drawers in my mother's jewelry box last night, looking for something glittery to wear with my gold and black outfit to the Niles Chamber dinner Wednesday evening.
Memories came flooding back of days in my youth when I begged her to allow me to play with her "jewels."
I really doubt there was much risk as most were not valuable in dollars. They did shine and glitter, though.
Rhinestones were really popular and earrings matched necklaces and often even bracelets.
My mother would dress up for similar events to go to with my father, who was village president of our town.
Playing with these rings and things I would turn myself into different characters.
One drop necklace I would attach to my hair with the center stone dropping down on my forehead like a princess from India.
Seeing that pink necklace, with its matching earrings, protected all these years in a cloth lined box, was a real trip to my past.
She had dozens and dozens of large beads in multicolors.
I remember, along with a few wooden jewelry boxes with hooks for the necklaces to hang, she had a few drawers in her dresser with many boxes of different sizes, each with a matching set.
In today's normal world I rarely wear different pieces, usually the same three rings, a rather battered watch which keeps perfect time and, once in awhile, a necklace.
Like my mother, I don't have any piercings.
When I talk on the phone I have a tendency to pull off my right earring, so my jewelry boxes have an assortment of just one earring, as the matches have all been lost.
We don't dress up much anymore – weddings mostly.
Even then I have been to some where many people wore jeans.
I have been asked by a collector to sell my mom's fancy, but not expensive, jewelry.
Though I doubt I will wear most I am having a hard time parting with the memories.
I can still hear her say, "Everything comes back – don't throw away anything."
Yesterday I also read the book, "Sayings of My Mother" by Maggie Sherwood.
The little book with a pansy on the front is a collection of sayings of her mother and how she is still guiding her life by these sayings.
Many of these words of wisdom I also heard as I was growing up and continue to hear when I have a decision to make.
The author said she never liked pansies, her mother's favorite flower, until later in life.
I think often we don't appreciate what our mothers are trying to give us in the way of advice, until they are gone and we no longer hear them except in our heads.
At the end of the book there is space to write your own memories.
I hope I spend some time thinking about my own mother so I can eventually pass this book down to my own daughter.
She may someday even want my old jewelry which she played with as a child.
One of the sayings my own mother used to tell me was "we will get our reward in the end."
In this day and age when we are all looking for instant gratification, the thought of waiting until we are dead to have any rewards isn't very appealing.
Why can't we get what we deserve now?
I am sure if rewards for a good life are given out she was first in line.
I sure miss her.