They hang on my wall collecting dust and holding memories.
I found them in Morocco on my way to the desert.
I have never worn them, not once.
These aren't the only ones.
There are the big silver beads on leather that I brought back from India and gave to a woman named Mary.
Years later when she passed away her grand daughter sent them back to me with a beautiful note saying how much she had loved them. And that Mary had wanted me to have them back when she was gone.
There are the cherry amber beads on twine given to me by the chief of a Zambian village as a gift of thanks for my visit to do an art project with the children at the little school there.
There are the antique ivory beads, that I would never wear but they are beautiful even though they represent the senseless slaughter of endangered species.
There are the ones that where purchased in Tanzania from a woman who needed to feed her children...
Will I ever wear any of them?
Probably not.
But each strand has the ability to take me right back to the moment and the place where I acquired them.
Hold on to this jewelry you will never wear. Hold on to the moments they represent for they are precious.
Respect and cherish them...
And be grateful for the opportunities that lead you to them,
