A Charmed Life

My mother, Alice Jean Blankenship Edwards passed away suddenly August 12th at the age of 86.

One day she was well, and the next she was in the hospital in critical condition from a twisted bowel. Her doctor did surgery on her twice in as many days successfully untwisting her small intestine but she went into shock and did not recover. On Wednesday evening, August 7, she was at church looking at the new room where her Sunday school class would be held. (Her church had been going through a building program for a couple of years and finally had the new building built, something she was so excited about.) On Thursday the 8th her bowel twisted and she was hospitalized. On Friday and Saturday she underwent surgery. Sunday, August 11, her church worshiped in the new building for the first time while she lay sedated in the hospital and someone else taught her class for her. On Monday she passed away.

My sister and I recently went through and divided up some of her things when I was there visiting my 90 year old father, who is doing well, all things considered. Among other things, I got her charm bracelet.

Charm bracelets were popular in the 1950's. I remember them well from my 1960's childhood. Many on the mission in Nigeria where I grew up--both little girls and their mothers--had charm bracelets. I haven't see my mother wear hers in years and had all but forgotten she even had one. But looking at those charms, so many memories flooded back.

As you can tell from the picture, her bracelet was silver. She had a charm of a little wedding and engagement ring, representing that significant moment in her life. She and Daddy remained happily married 66 years until God called her home.

She had three little charms of children but she actually had four children, five counting her adopted Nigerian son. Perhaps the fourth charm (if it ever existed) dropped off and was lost. Her five children are all grown up now with children and grandchildren of their own.

Then there is a charm of Africa and one of a little ship. The ship has the words SS America on it--and then it all came back to me. Yes! That was the name of that ship we traveled to America from Europe on the last time we came back. I was only 10 years old but I remember it well. What an adventure that ship was! It had a large dining room with wonderful food, little round windows from our cabin through which I could see the ocean, shops, and even a movie theatre! What a treat for a family who had just spent three years where electricity and running water were luxuries.

The bracelet has other charms on it too--an RN symbol, and charms from some of the countries we visited on our way to and from Nigeria, like Dutch shoes and a mug from Germany.

My mother had a charmed life and thanks to the home she and Daddy provided for my siblings and me, I have had a charmed life too.

*For any who might be interested, my book, The Whisper of the Palms is based on my mother and father's lives.