I have been making jewelry on and off for over 30 years, mostly earrings, necklaces and bracelets and usually using beads – increasingly nice ones as I got older. I never became particularly sophisticated at it, but have put together some pretty little creations every now and again. Last year, I crafted some earrings with turquoise and pale carnelian beads and was pleased with how they worked out, but whenever I thought of wearing them I couldn’t quite make them work. The stones are not really my colors and don’t really match what I wear either. The earrings need to be worn by someone brighter, sunnier-looking than me. A few weeks ago, I was gazing at one of my mom friends at the coffee shop one morning and realized that they would look great on her. Torrie, is the epitome of sunny, with a full head of long, strawberry blond hair and a dazzling smile that she offers generously as she shares a story about her daughter’s cheeky exploits or the latest on her wedding plans. Torrie always brings to the table positive energy, the kind that has undoubtedly fueled her impressive career as a cinematographer, writer, director and producer, mostly of documentaries. Now working primarily as a part-time lecturer at USC Film School, she is undoubtedly sharing this great energy with her students, the next generation of our filmmakers.
I have no doubt that it was the same positive energy that spurred her forward in her decision just over ten years ago to have a child, even though at that moment in her life, there were no strong candidates for a father for this child. After a year or so hard thinking, she chose to make the journey into parenthood solo, with a donation from a sperm bank. The result is Zoe, now ten years old, one of the most spirited and entertaining girls in 4th grade at my son’s elementary school. Torrie is a radiant mother and clearly enjoys life with her beautiful daughter. Now her life also includes John, who she met a few years back and is planning to marry sometime soon. Today, when I gave Torrie the earrings, everyone agreed that they worked on her. It may just be the colors, but later when I looked up the meaning of the stones, I discovered that turquoise is believed to protect against negative energy, and carnelian is a stone of creativity, individuality and courage. No wonder they’re such a perfect fit.
I have no doubt that it was the same positive energy that spurred her forward in her decision just over ten years ago to have a child, even though at that moment in her life, there were no strong candidates for a father for this child. After a year or so hard thinking, she chose to make the journey into parenthood solo, with a donation from a sperm bank. The result is Zoe, now ten years old, one of the most spirited and entertaining girls in 4th grade at my son’s elementary school. Torrie is a radiant mother and clearly enjoys life with her beautiful daughter. Now her life also includes John, who she met a few years back and is planning to marry sometime soon. Today, when I gave Torrie the earrings, everyone agreed that they worked on her. It may just be the colors, but later when I looked up the meaning of the stones, I discovered that turquoise is believed to protect against negative energy, and carnelian is a stone of creativity, individuality and courage. No wonder they’re such a perfect fit.
