I’d like to share the stories of where these three necklaces came from because it’s the meaning behind them that make them so very special. All three of these necklaces spoke to me on the same day and each one shares a different intention. It means so much to me to be able to wear these knowing where they came from… =)

The necklace on top is a brown one made of wood. Simple, right? Wrong. It goes way back. A sweet little Asian woman in San Francisco has been handmaking jewelry, beading crafts for the past 17 years. She looked me dead in the eye and said, “You need happiness right now, my dear. And this necklace means ‘Happiness’ in Chinese.” She pointed out the Chinese symbol which was beautifully carved on each piece and immediately I just had to have it. She clasped it around my neck after I paid for it and in return, I gave her beautiful words of wisdom that I’ve learned in my life. I told her to keep her eyes open even when it’s painful. Beautiful moment.

The second necklace is perhaps even more special. It’s a black plastic, bulky heart with a black nylon cord. Perhaps some people may view such a necklace as being “too bulky” but not moi! Oh boy. I gotta tell you what happened! So I was sitting down talking with my friend, Theresa, about life lessons and learning experiences. How if you fall, you have to make a choice. You either allow yourself to be hurt and let the world watch you hurt and live in misery. Or you stand up, look everyone in the eye, admit it hurt, and move on. It’s when people play “pretend” that causes such insecurity with people. Anyway to make a long story short, a homeless woman overheard this conversation we were having and she was deeply touched. She sat with us and we got to know one another and after a few minutes I told her that I loved her. She could tell I meant it because my eyes never strayed from hers. I honestly felt that no one had talked to her (really, REALLY talked to her - in a long, long time…. much less told her they loved her). She stood up, hugged me, and with tears in her eyes said, “I’d like to give this to you.” And she starts taking off the black heart necklace. I asked her, “What does this necklace mean to you?” And without hesitation and with tears still flowing from her face, she said, “Everything. It’s my everything. And I want you to have it.” So now I wear it… and with pride! I have someone’s EVERYTHING! I became friends with perhaps 5 or 6 homeless people and they turned out to be some of the coolest people ever. I’ll never forget some of the things they taught me =) I even met a homeless man named Wayne who said he was the son of God and I watched him make the sun brighter. I took him out for dinner and bought him some cigarettes and introduced him to some of my friends. It broke my heart that people on the street (even when he walked with me) wouldn’t even look him in the eyes. But they would look at me. It was a huge learning experience.

And the third and final necklace is one that the universe sent to me on the same block in San Francisco as the other two. Except, well, this one involved opening my wallet and spending a ridiculous amount of money. But even then, this too, has a beautiful story. My friend and I walked into a French jewelry store called Baccarats (not sure if I spelled it right) because one of the mannequins wore a hypnotic pendant in front of the window and I almost peed on myself when I saw it. I remember thinking, “That is the COOLEST stone, glass, crystal, thingy whatever-it-is in the world and I want it but OMG OMG OMG can I afford it?” So we walk inside and the price on it is outrageous. Out of my price range by several thousand dollars. I’m feeling slightly disappointed and about to walk out and then I meet this lady who works there - perhaps around 50-55 years old. She was feeling down about feeling “older” and I nicknamed her “pretty lady” which made her blush. She showed me another necklace with the exact same pendant (but about a fifth of the cost) - a crystal quartz with painted metals inside it and within minutes she began giving me words of wisdom about beauty, acceptance, and San Francisco. While she spoke, I held the pendant and allowed beauty and acceptance to sink into the crystal. It needed to be enchanted.

So now all three of my necklaces hold remarkable enchantments: happiness, everything, beauty, and acceptance. Who DOESN’T want those things? hehe

Love
Isabella
xoxoxoox