The Family Jewels

Growing up I loved to go downstairs to my parents bedroom, open the accordion doors to their closet, and get out my mom's two jewelry boxes off the top of her orange dresser. I would set them on my parent's bed and spend a good half hour to an hour looking through all the shiny rings, the charm bracelets with my mom's high school graduation date, the cupid bracelet with hearts with red jewels, the brown seed necklace from the sixties, the flower pins. It was all marvelous. My mom hardly ever let me wear any of her jewelry because she was afraid that I would lose them or break them (and I probably would have). After my mom died, I inherited all the "jewels", none of which are actual jewels.

Now the girls love to look through all the rings and necklaces and bracelets. Last Sunday I let them wear some necklaces and pins around the house while they were playing dress up. It is so strange and nostalgic to watch them doing the same thing that I did 30 years ago...