Sunday, June 22, 2008

Dragonflys


Dear Dazzy,

Just a lighthearted post this morning-one of the things I love about buying earrings when I travel is that every time I put a particular pair on, I can remember the place I bought them from, what the weather was like, whom I was with, and the whole vibe of that time in my life.
Of course, over the past eight years, I have acquired more than a few pair of earrings from Oz.

The first pair we bought in a little artist's shop in Warryndyte. They are moonstones set in sterling; the girl in the shop said that wearing moonstones signaled a change about to come into one's life.

We bought them on the spot! LOL

I also got a pair of clear quartz ones; very simple and I liked the idea of clarity in one's life, so that pair came home with me as well.

I wore them all the time when I went back to the states-that time without you-and I will wear them for all my years to come.

Throughout the following years, you continued to buy me jewelry-I never bought another piece for myself. You doted on me in that way, because it gave you such a kick to pick out things you knew I would love.

Gold and white gold hoops, a tennis bracelet, diamond earrings, my gorgeous watch-the last piece of jewelry you ever gave me-and my sapphire necklace that you surprised me with at our wedding are all pieces that you got as much pleasure out of giving to me as I did proudly wearing them.

As I went through the things I brought home with me from this trip, I came upon the package from a small store that is up near a shop called Pie In The Sky. (GREAT name, fabby food!)
They had beautiful earrings, and it was hard to choose at first , but when I walked around a corner in the cramped and filled-to-the-brim shop, I spotted the bronze dragonflies with the moonstone insets and knew they had to belong to me.

Dragonflies are simply beautiful in color, with their iridescent blues and greens .
They are plentiful near the creek where we lived for a time when you first came to the US.
They eat bugs that are pests and fly like hummingbirds do, hovering in mid-flight before darting off to some unknown destination. Not unsurprisingly, many cultures revere them and have written fables and legends regarding the dragonfly's transformational powers.

This one is my favorite:

Dragonfly Legend

In the bottom of an old pond lived some grubs who could not understand why none of their groups ever came back after crawling up the stems of the lilies to the top of the water.

They promised each other that the next one who was called to make the upward climb would return and tell what happened to him.

Soon one of them felt an urgent impulse to seek the surface; he rested himself on the top of a lily pad and went through a glorious transformation, which made him a dragonfly with beautiful wings.

In vain, he tried to keep his promise. Flying back and forth over the pond, he peered down at his friends below. Then he realized that even if they could see him they would not recognize such a radiant creature as one of their number.

The fact that we cannot see our friends or communicate with them after the transformation, which we call death, is no proof that they cease to exist.

- Walter Dudley Cavert

Today, as I wear my dragonfly earrings, I will think about all the fun we had in Melbourne and Sydney and Box Hill and all points in between, babe, from a time when our lives were exciting and our future was filled with nothing but love and happiness. When I catch a glimpse of them reflected in a mirrored surface I will smile at the words of Mr. Cavert,knowing that there is no PROOF that you cease to exists-because you do exist, right here in my heart.

Love you Dazzy-Always.
Kisses, Wifey.

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