I’ve spoken before about some of the jewelry I wear to honor the memory of Emily, but I wanted to write a post solely dedicated to this topic because from a grieving mother’s perspective, this jewelry was and continues to be an important part of the grieving process.

Shortly after Emily’s death, some friends of mine quickly pulled together the money to have a memory bracelet made for me.  The bracelet had EMMY (my nickname for her) in block beads, amethyst stones for the month of her death (February) and white pearls as a reminder of the purity and perfection she now enjoys in Heaven.  As a special treat, the artist added a tiny heart with baby footprints on it.

That bracelet is one my most beloved pieces of jewelry.  I often find myself hoping people who did not know Emmy would take note of the bracelet on my wrist and ask.  But even if they don’t, just wearing it makes her real…makes her still a part of our family.  The fear of your child being forgotten is an ache every grieving mother must face.  My memory bracelet eases that ache.

Another piece of jewelry was given to me by my dear La Leche League friends.  It was a silver locket with Emily’s name and birth and death dates engraved on the back.  Inside it I placed the picture that has come to be known as her memorial picture.  That precious little china-teacup face next to my heart is very dear to me.

It has also become a piece of jewelry that has helped my younger children grieve and remember.  Lia would open the locket whenever she needed to see her precious little sister.  Keian, who barely remembers Emily, still opens the locket and talks of the few memories he does have.  Micah, who never knew his big sister, will crawl up in my lap and ask for the locket to be opened so he can see “Emmy.”  His little questioning eyes and eager heart knows the little girl he sees staring back at him belongs to our family as much as any of his living siblings.

Again, the locket, like the bracelet, keeps her memory alive.

And then there is the Widow’s Mite pendant.

This tiny pendant from Jerusalem, speaks of sacrifice.  One woman gave all she had…willingly.  That does not mean it did not hurt.  But it was the ultimate gift…the gift of surrender.  This precious pendant wears next to the locket on the same chain.  My little Emily.  My total surrender.  A reminder that all I have is His.

When Melody at Hope of My Heart emailed about advertising here on Raising Arrows, I was honored.

Knowing how precious my Memory Jewelry was to me, I wanted to give my readers, those who grieve and those who know someone who is grieving, the opportunity to purchase a gift that is a balm to an aching mother’s heart.

Melody also offers jewelry for those who have lost children to miscarriage and those mothers struggling through infertility.  These deeply poignant pieces of jewelry remember aspects of a woman’s life that are generally not remembered by those around her.  I am so thankful there are artists willing to speak to this sort of pain.

And I am so thankful for friends who soothed my aching heart with wearable gifts.  Gifts, filled with love and meaning and memories.