Pearls

 


   I have a page a day calendar called National Day. Each day has a list of things that are celebrated on that day. For instance, December 12 is Poinsettia Day. December 13 is Cocoa day.

   Yesterday was Wear Your Pearls Day. I don't always celebrate each of the holidays that are listed. I have no idea how one celebrates Ding-a Ling Day. Yesterday I decided I was going to wear some pearls even though I wasn't working or doing anything special. I put on a pair  of pearl earrings that C gave me.

  I like pearls. When I was younger pearls seemed so classy and grown up. Many I times I would see pictures of wealthy and prominent women wearing a strand or two of pearls. It is tradition in my family that when a girl is confirmed in the church, she gets a ring. This is her first piece of real jewelry. I picked a Black Hills gold ring with a pearl in the middle.

   When I was in high school I had  pearl necklaces and a bracelet. (Not real of course.) One of  my necklaces consists of different sized pearls strung on transparent thread. It makes the pearls look like they are floating around my neck. I still have it. One of my favorite necklaces was one of pearls alternating with small carnelian hearts. I lost it many years ago while shopping in a mall. I never found it. C gave me a pearl necklace, bracelet and earring set as a Christmas present one year. My friend Dana made a pearl necklace with amethyst chips as a present one year. When my stepdaughter, Carrie, turned 18 I bought her a pearl and tourmaline necklace. 

  There is a lot of symbolism surrounding pearls. They are considered to be a symbol of purity and perfection. When I checked on the internet pearls also symbolized generosity, loyalty, perfection, spirituality and beauty. There are also pearls of wisdom.

   In the Bible, there are a few verses mentioning pearls. Pearls are compared to the kingdom of heaven. Just as a person would give much to own this very valuable earthly jewel, so should Christians seek after and value the kingdom of heaven. 

  The pearl is the only gem produced by a living creature. As we all know, a pearl is formed around an irritant of some sort. Layers of coating protect the oyster. 

  Think about this for a minute. This beautiful gem is created when something "bad" happens. It is form of defense. It's done so that the oyster (or mollusk) isn't injured by something that has gotten inside.

   This is the way that I try to handle some of the not so good things that happen in life. Instead of letting the bad stuff inside where it can eat at me, I try to do something good. In the interests of fair disclosure, I'm not always successful. At least I try.

  Maybe that's the reason why I decided to wear pearls on Wear Your Pearls day. It's a reminder that when difficult things happen I can try to make something good out of it.

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