Finding comfort and connection through times of stress and isolation…
In the spring of 2020 the world was overcome with worry as we were all directed to socially distance and isolate ourselves to prevent the spread of the Covid pandemic. As a jewelry instructor, I knew my students were missing out on the inspiration to have fun and create. So when Mother’s Day was approaching along with warnings not to gather, even with family, I wanted to offer a positive diversion to combat the loneliness many would experience. I chose to issue a design challenge for all who wanted to accept it.
The Challenge: To make a piece of jewelry inspired by your family.
I decided to participate in the challenge myself. You see, Mother’s Day is an especially emotional holiday for me. Back in 2013, I suffered a very tragic pregnancy where both my and our daughter’s lives where on the line. Ultimately, my life was spared, but we lost our daughter. The process of healing was not just physical, but deeply emotional and inspired a spiritual journey of discovering my purpose in life. This was the birth of my Connection Collections. I wanted to utilize my talents as a jeweler to inspire a positive mindset, effectively providing a link to happiness through meaningful jewelry.
“My signature piece – fulfilling the essence of my passion – the Faith and Love Pendant serves to remind you to continually surrender to faith and live in each moment with love.”
Our daughter’s name was Faith Aime (which means love in French). As I sat with the challenge I issued, it came to me that with every meaningful collection I created, the fundamental theme “surrender to faith and live with love” rings true. Surrendering to faith is not necessarily just a religious reference, but also refers to trusting in your ‘self’ and having the confidence to believe in your abilities. If you can maintain faith that everything is as it should be, you’re then free to view life’s hiccups as lessons or as a means to changing the trajectory of your course. You let go of trying to control every aspect of life.
Once you release the desire to control everything, you have the mental space to experience joy. You’ve surely heard the expression “life is what passes you by while you’re busy making plans”. If your thoughts are centered around to-do lists, preparing for ‘what-if’s, or just plain worrying, there’s no capacity left to focus on the simplest joys in life like doing something fun just because you can, fully engaging in a conversation and learning about the people you interact with, or connecting with those you love in a meaningful way. These connections and experiences are what you’ll reminisce about in your later years. Your impact on others is weighted by how you make them feel. When you choose to act from a place of love, you’ll be sure to spread happiness and positively impact the world around you.
As we celebrate Mother’s Day, I find myself reflecting on the massive impact the intention “surrender to faith and live with love” has had on my life over this last very challenging year. It has provided me comfort in times when life felt out of control, easing my stress and reminding me that surrendering is often the pathway to evolving. Now that we are able to feel more comfortable gathering together, I wish you the joy that only comes from connecting with those you love.