The Pendant

THE PENDANT

I looked at the silver-gold rings as I handed them to the jeweler.  I held back my tears as I remembered the vows David had made to love and be faithful as he placed the ring on my finger binding me to him in marriage.  The marriage was long over—the rings a painful reminder of failure.  I could not get rid of them, nor did I want them to languish forever in my jewelry box. 

I saw the sign in the jewelry store window suggesting a new piece of “nugget” jewelry could be made from old gold jewelry and the idea took hold—something I could wear as a symbol of my transition to a new life.

The rings leaned against each other melting

Silver-gold liquid released drops like hot tears that

spread, merged, separated,

merged again in new patterns, some

not so pleasing, some

beautiful to my eyes, solidifying

my past within my present and future.   

With help from the jeweler a bridge

arched over what looked to me like a figure

standing on its head holding a tiny circle.

How perfect! 

I was a gymnast once, I thought…

The circle, a suggestion of unity,

 The finished piece pleased me.  I wore it reverently around my neck…a symbol of my life in process.  The diamond hung beside it on the chain.  Occasionally painful memories still surfaced, but mostly the pendant was a symbol of strength and hope. 

 For years I wore the pendant—often at first, then less and less.  The pendant and the diamond need to be together I thought and wondered if it were possible.  One day, I brought the pieces to the local jeweler and asked him if it were possible to put the diamond in the pendant.  His excitement surprised me as he picked up the diamond and said, “Beautiful!  I’d put it right here.”  He placed it off center, not where I’d expected it to go.  My heart sang.  It was perfect! 

Two weeks later, I picked up the necklace and put it gently around my neck.  The diamond sparkled brightly enjoying its place in the whole.  More than just a piece of jewelry, this was a symbol of my life.  It had been broken, nearly destroyed.  It had been molded and shaped by circumstances, by choices I had made, by mistakes that turned into opportunities, and by a Love that held me and gave me strength.  Now I was becoming whole.  I had learned a secret.  Unity and Love come not from the outside, but from within.