Genius in Pearls

Thanksgiving. It was an eight-dishwasher-load feast to clean up, a multitude of children running through the house, playing games in the stark attic, all reappearing to ask politely for glasses of milk to accompany third-desserts of pumpkin pie or brownies or something else totally sweet, and not normally allowed.

When you are at Aunt Mary's, you can have whatever you want. No parents are asked for permission. I am happy to report all went home fat, full and foolish.

My sister Kathy also brought a gift, clothed in a Hefty sandwich bag. Our mother's pearls, scooped from the cleansing of a now-retired safety deposit box. The ones our mother left to me.

I am not a pearl person. But I remember when my mother bought this necklace, soon after my father Frank J. passed. She loved this band of jewels. And I know she bought them with a bit of the money Frank J. bequeathed to her, the stash he put away to make sure she was protected.

And I know she bought them because she missed him. She had spent 3/4 of her life with the man.

"You should have pearls, Mary," she told me before she left, fully assured I would get the message.

I hold their roundness in my palm, and, gently closing my fingers upon them, think of her.

There is genius in pearls. They take a long time to form, and men dive to great depths to retrieve them. And you can hold them in your hand, or wear them around your neck, a talisman to remind you from where you have come, a place you realize was safe and good and fine.

Full moon tonight here in Mason Neck, and elsewhere. Dear Doug left this morning to drag the trailer down south, to attend to some business scheduled for Monday. Labbie Walt sleeps on Marg's bed in my office, and he is dreaming, paws moving in pursuit of bunnies and duckies, or children who gleefully toss the Kong for him across the yard.

Comments

[Genie]

Happy Thanksgiving to you, Mary -- it sounds like a wonderful celebration and a wonderful feast. Your family is so lucky to have you to be the permissive (in a good way!) Aunt Mary.

:-) Genie

[KLB]

Mary,
Happy belated Thanksgiving. It sounds like you had a wonderful time with family. I'm sorry I missed you when you came through New England. One of these days I'm going to drive down to Mason Neck (once I figure out where it is) and surprise you.
KLB

[Phyllis Sheerin Ross]

Mare - - You bring up an interesting question; exactly who is a "pearl person?" My sister gave me a stand of pearls as a wedding gift. And, yes, I did wear them with my wedding dress. My late mother-in-law left me a double strand of pearls, which I wore once to a festive holiday party, with a black velvet dress. Both times I felt like an imposter, because I don't consider myself a "pearl person." The only person I know who wears pearls all the time is the warm and lovely person who cleans our condo every few weeks. She wears the pearls with some old sweats, as she vacumns the rugs, washes the floors, cleans the kitchen, etc. She is a proud and happy person who offers no explanation, as to why she always wears a strand of pearls. Maybe she knows the same secret about pearls that your Mom knew. So, go for it. Wear the pearls. And, please let me know if you discover the secret of being a "pearl person."