A Charmed Life

My Godmother gave me a sterling silver charm bracelet when I was baptized. She added a fewcharms on it along the way, but bracelets fell out of favor and I tucked it away in a drawer.

But, as many things do, charms came back into favor just around the time Tim and I married. He began giving me these little remembrances of special events. They were thoughtful reminders of the fun we have had. And, for a young couple with a baby, they were inexpensive gifts. But in the words of a MasterCard commercial, they are priceless.

My favorite charm is a sterling silver baby’s cup. It is a replica of the full-size cup our son, Sam, received upon his baptism. I also have a baby shoe, a rocking horse and a “MOM” charm. But this isn’t just a ‘mommy’ bracelet. There is a bier stein from our trip to Germany and a backpack that the boys gave me as we started Boy Scouts. There is a story behind each tiny trinket.

I stopped wearing the bracelet again a few years ago. It clanks on my computer keyboard and gets in the way when I’m typing. (Those of you who have seen my computer keyboard know how hard I am on them … I don’t need any additional help!)

But I’ve continued to collect the charms. More often, I wear them around my neck on a chain or add them to my keychain. I like having a private happy remembrance close to my heart.

I hope that a future granddaughter will be interested in the bracelet someday. Because it tells the story of our family. And I love it.

How will you tell your story?