Christmas at our house was magnificent this year!
In the morning, we opened gifts with my younger brothers. This is the first year that L and I made a conscious effort to put up and decorate a tree. For some reason, we went crazy and there were an embarrassingly large amount of wrapped packages for all of us under the tree by Christmas morning. We each took turns opening one gift at a time. Promptly after everything was opened, it was a flurry of activity as people tried on new clothes and opened new gadgets. There were a lot of hugs and laughter.
My gifts from L were especially wonderful.
As I delicately unwrapped the rectangular package, I found a beautiful wooden jewelry box. L had been complaining to me for months that I needed a proper place to keep all of my jewelry. Now I can be somewhat organized, who knew? It’s so “us” that he was more concerned about the condition of my jewelry than me. I’m terrible at stuff like that.
I opened the jewelry box, and inside were several papers. “What is this?” I said. “Just read it,” he said anxiously. But he couldn’t wait for me to read through the pages, so he quickly gave me a synopsis of his next little gift.
Later this week, I will receive a very special necklace in the mail. It is a necklace designed by a young woman named Lovetta Conto. Lovetta is a Liberian refugee who designs a line of jewelry made from the shell casings of bullets used in her country’s war. She was granted a Strongheart Fellowship that assists her in establishing her jewelry business. She is only 16 years old. She dreams of being a fashion designer. Through her jewelry, she is turning “violence into beauty and hope”. Proceeds from her Akawelle jewelry go toward Lovetta’s future and her new home, the Strongheart Home. She has been featured in several articles and magazines. You can read more about her here.
The papers in the jewelry box were print outs of Lovetta’s website, and information about the Strongheart Fellowship and Akawelle necklace. L knew that the academic in me would be really interested in reading about this young woman and the background of the necklace. I finally finished reading all the details, and I am so touched. It will feel good to wear this necklace. I was also taken aback at how well my husband truly knows me. He gets what I am about, and that feels good, too.
Here is a picture of the necklace. Isn’t it pretty?!
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