Amber Beads

Back in 1996 we took a trip to Iran to visit my husband’s family. It was my first overseas trip. We went on this visit for three weeks to potentially adopt a young child and for me to meet a lot of relatives. It was a very exciting adventure. That was over twenty years ago. In the end the adoption just wasn’t possible for a variety of reasons beyond our control. So much has changed since then. Our two nieces and nephew are very grown up - two are married, with children, living in other countries. We stay in contact to this day. Many of the people I met are no longer with us. This week I was reminded of this remarkable journey by a string of amber beads. I don’t recall exactly where we got them, but I think my husband’s brother had something to do with it. They are “prayer beads” and are quite heavy. Out of curiosity I asked my husband about the value of these beads. He started examining them closely with a magnifying glass and flashlight to see if there were any bugs or plant life inside. I don’t think there is. But it hardly matters because this little trinket means a lot to us and is priceless. I kept a lot of the photographs and look at them occasionally. It was probably one of the most memorable places I have ever been. And the amber beads are simply lovely.