Bittersweet

In my line of work, it’s not unusual to be asked to create something special for someone. Usually it’s for a birthday or anniversary. Wednesday night I got a call from my best friend, Mary, asking me to create probably the most important piece of jewelry to date: earrings for her mother to be buried in. Sis, Mary’s mom, has been very ill for the past three weeks and is expected to die any day now. I was honored that Mary chose me to create the earrings, but sad at the same time. Sis is going to be buried in a lovely red silk kimono top so I chose a cherry blossom design for the earrings. I finished them today and they are beautiful. I made a pair for Mary as a reminder of her mom. I know she’ll love them. It was one of the hardest jobs I’ve done (emotionally, that is) but one I’ll treasure. Thank you Mary for choosing me for something so important.