Sunday, August 07, 2005

bare fingers now adorned


I found my rings! They had been missing for about a year and half now, and I had resigned myself to the fact that they were gone. I'd searched every pocket of every jacket and bag, asked anyone at who's home I may have removed them to play guitar, with no luck. These aren't ordinary rings either, to me at least. They are all traditional lativan jewlery, two of them made by a man in toronto at the store Kalupe, the third inherited. I have great pride and intruige in my latvain heritage and these although these rings are only material objects, they felt like a reminder and a link to my cultural roots.

This morning as I was packing/organizing my craft supplies I came across a little black velvet bag. I intuitively knew they were in there, as I had thought I must have put them somewhere logical, and then lost the logical object in which they were stored. I peeked in the small bag and confirmed their presence, crying, immediately diving towards the phone to call my mother. She too had lost all her precious latvian jewelery at one point and found it again years later. I loved to hear that she too had immediately called her mother when she found it.

My fingers have been bare for a year and a half. It made me sad to where anything anything else on them. It feels really intense to have them back on my hands. They are charged rings, even after resting in a small velvet bag for that long. The matriarchy of my latvian roots is a strong part of my identity. My anscestor Aspasija, the first feminist lativan poet, feels like a kindred spirit to me. My Gaggy (great-grandmother) was a brilliant storyteller, amazing cook, strong woman. My Grammy Ellen, her magic with her hands in the earth growing flowers, organic food, loving of peacefullness and animals, living the sustainable lifestyle I hope to one day. My beloved mother, Christine, funky mama, creative spirit, poet on her healing journey. And here I stand, a little bit of the feminist, the storyteller, the peaceful gardener, the spiritual creative one. All in the notches and braids, amber and silver, returned to my fingers where they feel like they were meant to be.

1 comment:

Goddess Leonie * GoddessGuidebook.com said...

vivienne,
thank you for leaving a comment over on my blog ~ i am LOVING your delicious webpage!
go you funky bebe!

love and laughter,
Leonie

:)