JEWELERS
My family members (village) collectively (subconsciously I am sure) decided that their 2023 Christmas gifts would highlight their talents, passions, skills, and heartfelt thoughts. They are all creative and their creativeness shone brightly. My niece created a work of art from a photograph taken during our wedding anniversary. It is both a photograph and a painting and as soon as I understand how she did it, I will share. My son made bracelets for us with a common center stone that symbolized our common faith, the stone opposite it represented the mother’s or spouse’s favorite gem, followed by the recipient’s father’s or offspring’s favorite gem and finally the gem of the recipient’s sibling. Another villager had her sister create a 3-strand bracelet with one of the bracelets made with five smooth stones that my husband had referenced in a group text message. And my nephew crafted rings with colors that symbolized his family’s relationship with each of us.
I can almost hear you thinking, “My brain doesn’t work that way.” I disagree. We all are jewelers. We all can craft each day and thus each year into the life that we want. And yes, there will be mishaps along the way, but each new day is a chance to start over. My nephew didn’t want to spoil his surprise, so some rings didn’t fit. He is making corrections.
We begin each day with a box of beautiful gems. They are called choices. There is a gem for every moment and every choice that we will make during the day…choose wisely. My son relayed the story of making the first village bracelet. In his words, “It was hideous.” His close friend saw it and loved it. His next iteration was the design I previously described. The “hideous bracelet,” I thought, was beautiful to someone and our worse designed days hold beauty as well.
The choices we make form the piece of jewelry (our day) that we create. Each piece of jewelry/day is different from the previous day and from the one yet to come. Yet there ought to be a common stone (your grounding) at the center of each. One day you might choose the gems of quietness, solitude, and reflectiveness. The next day the stones of being outgoing, engaging with friends and family and being expressive or a mixture of both. Being aware of the choices one makes and their implications places one in a better position to create the beautiful piece of jewelry that represents living life well. It prevents living haphazardly.
Each day designed and well-crafted makes for a well-crafted (lived) life – not perfect but perfect for me. Do the best you can and leave the rest to heaven.
PONDER THIS THOUGHT---Choices not conditions are the building blocks for a well lived life.
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