A Charmed Life

When I was a little girl my mom and dad bought me a charm bracelet.
They were pretty popular back then. The charm that was all the rage was the little mustard seed. It was pretty encouraging to me as a little girl that my faith only needed to be that big for me to move mountains. I figured I could muster (lol no pun intended) at least that much faith. It seems a little trickier now that I am not so young. I haven't moved any mountains lately so I am still obviously a work in progress.
The charm bracelet has grown over the years. It is now filled. It is heavy and cumbersome to wear and every link is filled. I know I should start another one but it makes me sad to think that the new one would not have some of my favorites like;
The pinecone: purchased in a little country store in Coldspring Texas where I took my girls every year to Mother Daughter Campout. I would take them out of school for the day and we would get there before all of the other mothers and daughters. We would stop at a little restaurant called "The Hop" and eat fries and drink strawberry banana milkshakes. I purchased their bracelets and first charms there. It was always such a magical time for the three of us.
The Twin Towers: We had a girls trip planned to New York City in November 2000 for a fun filled weekend of broadway shows, eating and sight seeing. We sat around the table one Sunday talking about the "must see" sights on our list. They included among others, the statue of liberty, Ellis Island, the World Trade Center, and beautiful fall foliage. The next morning my brother called and told me that a plane had flown into the World Trade Center Tower. He is a big tease and so I told him to stop. He told me to turn on my TV. My stomach just dropped. It was unbelievable. The feeling of fear and of being under attack as a nation is one I will never forget. My children were in three different schools; elementary, middle and high school. I spent the rest of the day checking them out of school along with other frightened parents. I just wanted to hug them and let them know that it was alright. I wanted to be the one to reassure them and I wanted everyone I loved to be close by. I was so frightened to get on a plane after only two months later but I did it. I conquered my fear and I went. It was an amazing trip filled with laughter, fun, shows, eating, family and a deep sense of love of country and freedom. I think it made me realize how much family and country meant and to never to take them for granted. I bought the charm so I would never forget.
The train: On my 15 anniversary my husband gave me a steam engine train charm. It was to remind me of our honeymoon when we rode the Durango Silverton train up a winding vista of breath taking scenery. It was beautiful but I was more focused on staring at the passenger next to me. He was beautiful...more than anything outside that train. He was my soul mate and the love of my live. I spent the afternoon wondering how I could be so lucky and so happy. And why on earth would someone so good looking and so nice pick me. Someday I will ride that train again and try and appreciate what is outside of the train but who knows...if Mr. T is sitting by me all bets are off.
My charm bracelet tells my story. It is a shiny silvery history of love and laughter and life.
Here's to the start of another bracelet just as full.