“Are we going somewhere special, Mommy?”  My five year old didn’t wait for an answer before sashaying to the jewelry tray on my dresser.  He had already seen me pulling out one of the two silver necklaces I wear for every occasion – special or not.  I have others, but these quirky, simple pieces came from my husband.  One was opened on a birthday; the other one anniversary.  They go with everything.

“Just doing errands, buddy,”  I answered.

“Don’t forget your roses,” he reminded me, dipping his finger into the felt-covered plastic tray and pulling out a pink sculpted resin earring.  I smiled as he handed it to me.  “Don’t you love them, Mom?”  I nodded and smiled.  The rose earrings are pretty.  The color didn’t go with my outfit, but these too, came with a special memory.  This one takes me to a summer day at a farmer’s market and to an act of youthful, but heartfelt generosity.  The impulse buy was his sole purchase that day, and it emptied his pockets of every last penny.

I was still putting the backing on the first rose when a gold starfish appeared in front of my face.  Another special gift, the broach was a traded-for treasure from a community tag sale .  It also did not go with my outfit, but I cannot wear the earrings without it, and I pinned it on, remembering his smile of triumph when he first presented it to me.

We needed to get moving, and I did not wait for hi

m to pull out the next piece.  I pulled on a pink crazy band and a beaded bracelet procured at another tag sale.  I checked my shopping list and purse to make sure I hadn’t forgotten anything important. Then I checked my jewelry tray for any missed pieces.

Regardless of the occasion, these items have become part of my outfit.  They are my victory medals.  They are memories of days made special.  And, even when my baubles are made of buttons or plastic, they gleam with promise.

“Are you sure we’re not going any place special, Mom?”

“Just groceries and  a few other things like that” I answered.

“You just look beautiful,”  he said, standing on the bed so that he could take a closer look at the starfish again.

“Well, that must be because I’ve got my bling,” I said.