Most women wish to be draped in diamonds, but my Great-Grandma loved to be laced with pearls. When I was little, my Grandma always wore her pearl necklace no matter where we were, and I never thought anything of it except that she liked wearing jewelry. One day, I came home from school and found her sitting on the couch, so I asked, “Hey Grandma, why do you always wear that necklace?” So she told me a story about how when she was a young girl, her mother had said that the necklace had been passed down for generations, from mother to daughter, and that one day it would be hers to protect and cherish. She told how her own mother would clasp the necklace around her neck for special occasions, like Sunday service and weddings, reminding her to stand tall, speak kindly, and carry herself with grace. She once said to me, “These pearls aren’t just jewelry, but they are the women of our family.” Each one is shaped by time and would be passed down to the next generation when the time comes. As my grandmother grew older, she began not just wearing the pearls for Sunday service or weddings, but also whenever she needed strength; they reminded her of her mother. I look at that necklace differently after that. It wasn’t flashy like diamonds; it didn't sparkle across the room, but it glowed softly and steadily like her. Years later, when she was gone, and the house felt impossibly empty, the pearls still on the nightstand where she left them, collecting dust and waiting for the next person to be passed on to.

– O

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