Necklace

Yellow bead for my childhood.
Warm rays of sun streaming gently through an open window.
Soft lacy curtain billowing in the breeze.
Gazing out into the world with eyes of wonder.
Mother’s hugs and sweet gentle kisses.

Green bead for the years of knowledge.
Sucking it in hungrily, quenching the thirst for everything.
The seed transforming into a shoot, yearning for the Sun.
Being moved by the winds of Hope.

Blue bead for the years of service.
Finding my place, deeper roots.
Standing on my own two feet, growing wider.
Making an impact on the world.

Brown bead for my home and hearth.
My beautiful family gathering around the dinner table, candles burning.
Home cooked meals and cozy snuggles under a warm blanket.
Long walks side by side, heartfelt conversations.

And two chiming bells, for my children.
Or maybe three or four…
Sweet toothless smiles, tender with unconditional love, like delicate flowers.
Tiny toes and intoxicating smell of little heads.

Purple bead for the acquired wisdom of growing old.
White hair, respect and accomplishment.
Long letters, collecting rich harvest from well tended fields.
Golden sunsets sitting on the bench by the sea.

Carefully stringing the beads on a shimmering thread, I whisper a timeless prayer of the ancients.
Familiar words springing once again from my lips.

As I tie the necklace around my neck, 
I take a long hard look at the remaining blood red bead, lying before me.
Heart squeezing in the pain or remembering.
No.
Not this time.
Not this time.

And I jump headlong into my new life.