How I accidently spent $200 in the jewerly store today

I originally went to get my anniversary ring sized down. Since I was going, I may as well take the three necklaces that need cleaning..... and the two knotted chains whose only hope of survival is professional intervention.... and a little mirror that needs some help attention but that is a whole other story........

I didn't expect the jewelry to do so much talking.

The gifts: 11mm Baroque Champagne pearl earrings. Chatty little things.



Gift Number one will grace the ears of my neices' college roommate, Dannie.  I have long since forgotten the exact details, but she does not have a family. She spends all days off, holidays and other basic school-is-closed-you-are-suppose-to-go-home-now-because-you-cant-stay-here time at my in law's house. She has been at the table for every family holiday dinner for the past 4 years.  She didn't even stop to celebrate graduation, no cake. no party. Just kept working at Applebee's and started back to school the next week to get her Master's.

So I pray for her. Pray she makes the right decisions. Pray she is surrounded by Christian friends and she feels God's love overwhelming her, all around her, leading her. Pray that God sets her in a family, happy and secure.  Pray she'll hear these earrings say:  You are noticed. You are special. You've really achieved something to be proud of. And Jesus loves you. He has plans for you.

I hope she will hear it too. She will when she gets older. I did.

I graduated from high school and the couple down the road that I barely knew from church gave me an initial ring. I spent years wondering why an older couple I barely knew would buy me a nice graduation gift because I couldn't hear it.

Now I can. The ring said: You are noticed. You are special. You've really achieved something to be proud of. And Jesus loves you. He has plans for you.

Gift Number two will grace the ears of my friend's daughter, another college graduate. Someone I've only seen around the table a brief few times. But this graduation was celebrated with a summer in Europe before a Master's. This child is a non-believer.

So I pray for her. Pray she is surrounded with roommates, classmates, professors and teammates who are Christians witnesses to her every day. Pray that God overwhelms her with his fingerprints all around her, pray that Christians will reach out to her, pray she will ask herself why someone she barley knows would give her a nice gift.  Pray she hears the earrings as they say You are noticed. You are special. You've really achieved something to be proud of. And Jesus loves you. He has plans for you.

Gift Number three is for my ears. These don't say much, just hum a little tune of what great husband I have that, among other things,  understands that earrings talk to me at the jewelry store.