Stringing along the memories

Charm bracelets look back and look forward

Ihave always been accused of wearing my heart on my sleeve, but

also wear the good times I shared with my late husband, Larry, on my wrist. At a glance, it is simply a charm bracelet — a cluster of silver chunks. For me, it’s a photo album of memories I choose to keep and share instead of those left behind by surgeries, suffering and death. It includes:

A sun, symbolic of Kansas, where we met 20-plus years ago, but also his pride in his daughter and grandchildren, who live there.

A skull, for the biker days we hoped to have — although admittedly, we’d have probably been riding a trike if we’d made it to Sturgis!

A fishing boat, which is self-explanatory.

A New Orleans street car, purchased on our trip in the summer of 2011. He admittedly didn’t love the Crescent City as much as my sisters and I do, but he loved the fact that I did.

Our puppies — Lily, the one we got because we wanted to “procreate,” and Lucy, the one we got to keep Lily company.

A mother- and child-shaped heart for Amanda. My sweetheart and my daughter fell in love at first sight, and in that simple silver charm, I see images of Razorback women’s basketball games, hours of fourwheeler rides, triumphant bowling scores and scores of

bedtime stories.

A New Orleans sewer cover — which makes me think of half a dozen more images of Larry, particularly one of him happily eating boiled crawfish.

A cow, in memory of my Pa. He and Larry would have loved each other. Or do.

A dragonfly, a symbol of renewal.

A pig — because we couldn’t find a Razorback. Larry left the University of Kansas behind when he moved to Arkansas and embraced the Hogs — which made for harmonious custody of the remote control.

A snowflake from the last Christmas trip we took to Silver Dollar City. Not many men will admit to loving Silver Dollar City, but Larry did, just like the big kid he was. We had so much fun there!

A bride and groom. Our wedding day was perfect and beautiful, just like a dream wedding should be. As for our marriage, it was as our friend and officiant put it: We had what everyone else has — a lifetime.

And a fish, not for fishing, but because Larry loved nothing more than “big fish” stories. My favorite was how the row boat he was riding in fell out of the back of his grandfather’s pickup when he was a boy. It might be exaggerated; I’ll never know. But it’s a great story, and I treasure it.

Then there’s the bracelet I started Saturday. It was a big deal to commit to the new beginning, and of course, it will take time to fill it. I started with:

An open heart, because I intend to always have one.

A bamboo charm for my sister Pam, who loves all things Asian.

And a sparkly charm for my sister Dyann, who loves her bling.

I need a charm for the new beau, of course — perhaps an elephant, because he’s a staunch Republican. (No, I’m not kidding. Yes, it is a challenge sometimes.) I need a third puppy charm, too, because “no” is not in my vocabulary. Lainey — a black and white shih tzu who is a tiny package of dynamite — was also a commitment to a new beginning — or to the designation “crazy dog lady.”

It’s a little bit daunting to think of all the adventures, mishaps, laughter, tears, journeys and memories that will be pictures in this book of my life. But I’ve started writing the next chapter.