The Bracelet

September 04, 2017



A personal narrative essay I had to write for school :) Wanted to share it with you all since I missed this past Saturday's post...

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It was a pretty beaded bracelet: deep blue, white and shiny, graced with elegant thinness. I had bargained it out with the seller, and had gotten it for as cheap as I could and really it was nothing but elastic with beads strung on in bracelet form…but to me it was an absolute treasure. To rewind, it all happened on a trip…a trip I took with my choir to England and then Ghana. I was eleven and no doubt this trip was one of the biggest events that led to my coming of age. The bracelet I instantly put on my wrist, which since it was very thin, caused the bracelet to hang spaciously. That bracelet saw many of my adventures, it followed me onto a precarious swinging rope walk above the jungle and down to the ambassador’s house…it witnessed my plate of fries and rice with plantains neglected to the side and it even came with me to an orphanage. But mysteriously…it didn’t come back. And that’s where my story starts.


I think there was always something in my heart for orphans, maybe it sprung from reading Anne of Green Gables…or my mother’s magazines filled with tear jerking adoption stories. Anyhow it was deeply ingrained in my heart and my mind that one of the greatest things in the world would be to love and be friends with an orphan since my future of adopting one was far off.  I’ll really never forget that day I said goodbye to my precious bracelet for something much more precious.


Sweltering heat hazed in a cloudy gray sky, down below, the ground was colored deep ochre red dust. Entering a concrete rectangle of a room we endured some welcoming thanks from the leaders of the orphanage. The memories are blurry in my mind but I remember a few things clearly: a group of orphanage children dancing and singing for us followed by our performance. But those things don’t matter much to my story, what truly mattered was the moment we all flocked outside to play soccer. Instead though I decided to hang around the sidelines and talk with some children. The first person I encountered was a girl with ebony skin and shining brown eyes so I said hello and we hit it off. Though she looked no older than twelve she was in fact sixteen. I don’t really remember her name or everything that we talked about but I remember that when one of my friends said we had to go, I scrawled my name and address on a paper so that my new friend could write to me. Suddenly my eye caught my bracelet and flitted to her wrist to notice a pretty green and golden bracelet.


“Where did you get the bracelet?” I asked


“One of the girls gave it to me.” She answered taking my piece of paper and tucking it in her uniform pocket.


I stared at my precious bracelet and I wavered, but finally I took it off and handed it to her.

“Here...it’s for you.” I smiled at her.


Her brown eyes shone as she put the bracelet on her own wrist and she looked up at me and said thank you.  I don’t remember much else than the hug I gave her before rejoining my choir.

Days passed and I went home. Weeks and then months of eagerly checking my mailbox but my friend never wrote. Time may have passed but it never robbed the little spark of joy in that moment long ago…one that words can’t really explain; one that only the sparkle of an eye, a touch of a hand, or a shared memory can. Some days I still wonder about my friend; is she married? What does she do for a living? How did her life turn out? Does she still have my bracelet…or was it forgotten or broken long ago? I may never know the answers to these questions but that encounter so long ago taught me something I’ll never forget, something that’s repeated in my life over and over again.


Letting go is often a way of holding on.


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30 comments

  1. That was beautiful. You've left me with all kinds of confused emotions. A good feeling of charity, but a feeling of sadness of the unknown. You're very talented. Amazing job. <3

    ~Ivie
    iviewrites.blogspot.com

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    1. Wow Ivie, Thank you so much...your comments are amazingly encouraging to me and I promise you I wouldn't be as far as I am in my writing today if it hadn't been for all those sweet thoughts sitting at the top of my post comments <3

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    2. Aww, you're too sweet. Your comments are always encouraging as well and I always look forward to them. Your writing is amazing. Keep up the hard work. God is taking you places. <3

      ~Ivie

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    3. He is <3 Thanks again for all the encouragement ^.^ You never really know what happens with it but it isn't flying off in the wind over here ;D

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  2. Lovely writing, Anna!:) I loved reading it.
    -Quinley

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    1. Ahh Thank you Quinley!!! <3

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    2. Your welcome!:) I love reading your posts, there so amazing.
      -Quinley

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    3. Aww you are too sweet ^.^ <3 I really enjoy reading yours too :)))

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  3. I betcha she does still have it - or at least the memory connected to it. Lovely post, Anna!

    Catherine
    catherinesrebellingmuse.blogspot.com

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  4. That is so sweet! I loved this. <33

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    1. Thank you so much Gray! ^.^ I'm so glad you liked it...

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  5. *clutches heart* This is so precious! It reminds me of the mission trip I went on to Honduras and makes me wonder if all the loving I did on the cute kids there are held dear in their hearts <3 And your style is so gorgeous!!! "Letting go is often a way of holding on." Love that :)

    Even if she doesn't have it anymore, I'd be surprised if she doesn't remember <3 Small acts of kindness like that often stick in one's mind.

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    1. Wow, you will have to tell me more about that Honduras mission trip! <3 And same here, I cuddled so many little kids in Ghana and danced with street kids. It was something I will NEVER forget. Something about that spontaneous joy still swelters in my heart at those memories.

      I'm so glad you liked this :) That is very true...I still remember seemingly tiny things in a huge way. :) Thank you so much for sharing and reading Lila <3 :))) I've missed you guys since school started...

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  6. This is so so cool, Anna! *applauds enthusiastically* Really beautiful story, good job. :D

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    1. Thank you Jane! *bows to hide blushing* :D Thank you for reading and commenting <3

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  7. Beautiful! I can see your kind heart and soul (and writing skills!) throughout the whole piece. <3 <3 <3

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    1. Awww you are sweet Melissa ^.^ <3 This was a fun piece to write and it's been bursting in my heart so I'm glad I put it down in words...Thank you so much for reading and commenting! <3

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  8. This is sooo beautiful - I love your words and this story. <3 <3 <3

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    1. Thank you so much Kara Lynn! <333 I really appreciate that ^.^ and thank you for stopping by and commenting. :)

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    1. THANK YOU SO MUCH! :D That makes me really happy :) (and by the way do you have any name I can call you by? :D )

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    2. You can call me MEM like everyone else does, or I could message you and tell you my real name if you'd like. ;-D

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  10. Oh...this is SO beautiful, Anna. Fantastic job <33

    audrey caylin

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    1. Thank you so much Audrey, and thank you for reading and commenting ^.^ <3 it means a lot.

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  11. Wow, I've had this post open in a tab since you posted it, because it's beautiful and it invokes a lot of feelings I don't know how to put into words. So I will stop trying, and just say thanks so much for this glimpse into your heart, and that last sentence is powerful. xxx

    P.s I'm sitting here listening to Sleeping At Last, thanks to your recent post! :D

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    1. WOW, that is always the way I feel with all your posts...you have such beautiful depth that your stories stick with me long, long after I've read them <3

      Thank you so much Jessica, that means a lot to me <3 xxx

      P.S. YAY, aren't they wonderful? I always shiver with awe when I listen to their music, it really brings the marvelous creation of the universe and human nature's shortcomings to mind...they sure make the most of their words! :) What's your favorite so far?

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    2. Really?! All praise to God, because I honestly feel I don't know what I'm doing every single time it comes to blogging! But thanks, it's really encouraging to hear that.

      Yes, I've been enjoying them. :) So far, I think I like I'll Keep You Safe and Saturn best, although I haven't listened to all the songs yet. I haven't found any I strongly dislike though, so that's a pretty good record!

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  12. Oh My Gosh Anna!!! This is amazing!!! I love your writing! It was so powerful.

    -Lia
    catholicgirlstuff.blogspot.com
    lilahsmusicals.blogspot.com

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Hi! Thank you so much for your comments, they always make my day. I allow anonymous users to comment on my blog, but any crass, profane, pointless criticism and mean comments will be deleted. Remember to check back or click notify because I reply to all of my comments!
Have a Blessed day <3

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