All the colors of the friendly Journey necklace makes it a favorite around here.
But to me, there's so much more to this little bauble than that.
I woke up one morning realizing that I was a good way through my life and had hit some of the major markers - and had so much to be thankful for. The gift of my three girls. Peter. Clients and a business that I love. Friends. An amazing community. God's blessings are all around us aren't they?
I wanted to make a necklace realizing the same thing - this life is about the journey.
So I put together a necklace of brilliant gems to celebrate the seasons of life. Each one representing a significant part of my days, your days - to make up the whole, glorious thing.
Don't get me wrong, it isn't all coming up roses over here :) I have my fair share of sad-disappointed-valley-shaped-gems too. And there's plenty of story ahead, but through ALL of the highs and lows, life keeps. on. going. Less about the BIG moments and more about being present in the now and living into what I have been given. This is my challenge and my quest.
That's what the Journey necklace says to me. The little gold or silver facet along the road, signifying where you find yourself today.
Appropriately, they come in various gems. One of them is the amazonite, which we're highlighting today! It's sometimes referred to as the "Amazon stone", though scientists are doubtful it actually is drawn from the Amazon region. It's a green variety of mircrocline feldspar, commonly found in Russia.
I love this bit - amazonite is a mineral of limited occurence. Which of you, how often do I, feel like you are living a life of *limited* occurence?! But I guess there's truth to that - what we see in amazonite occurs in our lives as well - there isn't another one just like us. A day exactly like today won't happen again. So even in the mundane -- and there are beads that only belong to us!
For many years, the source of amazonite's color was a mystery. Naturally, many people assumed the color was due to copper because copper compounds often have blue and green colors. More recent studies suggest that the blue-green color results from small quantities of lead and water in the feldspar...fancy!
I hope this necklace reminds you, as it does me, that it's one day at a time, and no matter where you are on the journey - yours matters. There is Hope in that.
Consider the ones you love in your life. Does anyone need to know that today is just one day in a line of many to come - and that they're loved?
Think about this for that one... journey?
You're loved!