I just finished reading a heart-warming novel by Pamela Raleigh entitled, “The Memory Bracelet.” The story follows a grandmother who is suffering with Alzheimer’s and her granddaughter. The story is summarized on Amazon as follows:
‘When college sophomore Tessa Wilde visits her Alzheimer’s-stricken grandmother Esther, a shocking secret slips out, one that threatens Tessa’s identity and raises old feelings of betrayal and rejection. The only way to pursue the truth, though, is to explore those unreliable memories.
But can she separate Esther’s ramblings of a storied past from the effects of Alzheimer’s?
Relying on Grandmother’s stories that live in the charms of her beloved bracelet, Tessa pushes her grandmother to reveal the truths that have been hidden for too long. As Esther’s health deteriorates and communication fails, Tessa faces the ultimate question: can she forgive Grandmother for half-spilled secrets and an unreconciled relationship? And face the fact that they’re more alike than they are different?
Perfect for fans of Barbara Davis and Kristan Higgins, The Memory Bracelet is a gripping yet heartwarming novel about the pain resulting from complicated relationships, carried from one generation to the next, and the fierce determination to heal them.’
The story backflashes are triggered by the charms on the grandmother’s bracelet. While the reader can follow the various experiences prompted by the charms, the granddaughter does not know the whole story. The grandmother struggles to share what lessons were learned made even more difficult with her inability to speak clearly and coherently thanks to the influence of Alzheimer’s.
It was a very touching story and had me thinking about charms that would trigger my memories of things I’ve done in my life…sort of a tangible resume. If I were to build a charm bracelet for myself, what would I include?
I started making a list of charms that would represent my life. Then I went to Amazon to see if they had charms to fit. I’m sure I could find fancy, expensive gold and silver charms, but since this was just for fun, I just did an easy search.
For example, I’ve been sewing since Junior High School. How about a sewing machine charm?
Cute! My first machine was my mother’s Singer Featherweight machine…black just like this!
If I wanted to remind myself of my quilting experiences, there’s a charm for that!
Or, I might find something in this assortment:
When I was first teaching, I also studied Cosmetology…to be a hairdresser. Of course, it was too much to do both, but I did learn to cut hair. (Yes…I’m a Beauty School Dropout!). However, I’ve been cutting hair for family for 55 years! And yes, there’s a charm for that!
How about all the writing I’ve done over the years…from curriculum materials to my blog! I did start with a manual typewriter! There’s a charm for that!
And then there are all the books I’ve read! Yes, there’s a charm for that!
When I think of all the love I’ve given to the Greyhounds, I realized I already had a charm for that!
I can’t forget how much I’ve enjoyed gardening:
and Baking/Cooking (this one is just too cute!)
I’m sure if I wanted to do it, I could assemble quite a nice charm bracelet of my life. Since I really don’t like a noisy, clanking bracelet and would probably never wear it, I think these pictures would be enough to jog my memory of all the many things I’ve done, or made, or loved!
What pictures or charms would you assemble to represent your life experiences? It might be a way to start the conversation with our grandchildren about things we’ve done…or encourage them to start their own collection. Enjoy!
Please email me directly if you have comments or questions. maryjkisner@gmail.com