Heart & Soul pendant: For Sally

“How will I know you’re trying to tell me something? I asked her as I was holding her hand, she had just learned that her time on earth was coming to an end. I said “mom, will you please give me signs, show me what the right path is, let me know when I am making the best decisions?” She said “yes, I’ll give you a sign”. And I asked through my teary eyes, what should I look for? In my mind I was thinking she would say something like butterflies or rainbows. In what little time she had left, she was trying to collect her thoughts and pour out wisdom. Her mind, though it had been slowly slipping away for months, possibly years, on this day, was sharp. She took a deep breath in and was very quiet for a minute or two. I thought maybe she had lost her train of thought and was about to move onto something else when she said, “I think a heart. then another pause, "you should look for hearts”.

Hearts. My favorite symbol, my most loved shape. I have been collecting them for years, looking for them daily in nature, in cement, in the clouds. I know it is not a unique symbol but it is one that brings me the most comfort.

Hearts, she always led with hers, walked through life with it on her sleeve. She gave it away to everyone she met. Nobody had to earn her heart…not kids, dogs, grown ups, waitresses, store owners, nurses, strangers. She gave her admiration, her unabashed approval, her tireless support and her LOVE to you with wild abandon. She handed it out like treasured full-sized candy bars at halloween. It wasn’t cheap or showy, she meant it and if you were the recipient…you felt it, and knew you could count on it, always. When she said “I love you” she never stopped there, she always added “with all my heart & soul.”

One gesture I have noticed that is universal when hearing or sharing news of the heart, or truly anything that moves us deeply, is a gentle yet automatic move of your hand from wherever it is resting, directly and decisively to your heart. I’ve seen this move performed by (mostly) women everywhere…young, old, happy, sad, thoughtful, prayerful, distressed, elated. I see it upon hearing the news of an engagement, a college acceptance, a new baby, a wish made, a dream come true, a breakup, a death. Are we somehow bracing our hearts for the news, possibly protecting and sheltering our heart for what’s to come? Maybe we are hoping to steady its quick uptick in pace. Perhaps when we hear news that will make our hearts swell with joy, it is placed there in a symbolic effort to contain it within the walls of our body. This gesture needs no words. It requires little, but truly says it all.  I am with you, my joy is your joy, your heartbreak is my very own.

Upon my Mother’s passing, I noticed the gesture repeated over and over and over again as I told friends, family, my exercise classes full of women, strangers in the grocery store. Everyone clutched their hearts with one hand, reached for my hand with the other and listened.

And that’s what she did, she clutched my heart. If she met you, she would have clutched yours too. But that is what all amazing, special loves do, they hold your heart close, they keep it safe, protected. They feel your joy, know your heartache. They also give their hearts so freely that everyone who touches them feels it, knows it, is steadied by it. It is a clutch, a grasp, an immediate and forever love. It is to love and be loved with all of your heart & soul.

The Heart & Soul pendant made with love for Sally, to remind us all to clutch each others hearts and keep them close. 

Details:

5 carat light brown/blush diamond

14k yellow gold clutch bezel made to wrap snuggly around the stone

Long claw prongs hold the diamond tight within their grasp

14k rose gold button back

Can be made with any color and size gemstone. Pricing for other stone, or differing stone quality, available upon request. Allow 8-10 weeks for production and delivery.