The Necklace
Written by Wanda Rodriguez
Written on June 28, 2025
Published on July 12, 2025
*** APOLOGIES FOR THE DELAY IN POSTING. I HAVE BEEN OUT OF
TOWN FOR SEVERAL WEEKS. I PLAN TO BE BACK ON A REGULAR
POSTING SCHEDULE AUGUST 1ST.
THANKS FOR YOUR PATIENCE. ***
Early on, when Dave and I were first dating, he got me a beautiful gold rope chain necklace. (For new readers, Dave and I were married for 30+ years. Sadly, he passed away in March of 2024 after a hard fought battle with glioblastoma.) I loved the necklace, but I asked him to return it. We were both college students at the time, living on ramen, tuna, and cold potato sandwiches (potatoes once saved a nation and more than one college student!!). We both worked all through school but in reality we didn’t have two nickels to rub together and we both had student loans looming large above our heads upon graduation. I loved the gesture and the love behind this beautiful gift, but I hated the idea of him taking on unnecessary debt. Though he understood, and reluctantly returned the chain, my asking him to do so hurt his feelings as he saw it as a bit of a rejection (This was not remotely my intentions.).
Years later Dave got me an identical gold rope chain. Rest assured that this time it was not returned. (No way!!!) It became one of my most valued pieces of jewelry. For fear of losing it, I only took it out to wear on special occasions. Though it was just a “thing", this long awaited treasure was very important to me and spent most of its time in a safe. (This reminds me of my dad who was forever putting things in the closet “so they won’t get broken,” rather than letting us use them. That drove my brother and I absolutely bonkers! We never understood it. It's funny how we eventually become our parents, isn’t it.)
Fast forward to our youngest being in high school. She had an affinity for gold and loved the story of the gold necklace. She would occasionally ask to borrow it. With great hesitation, I would let her wear it for specific engagements with the understanding that it had to be returned immediately upon her return home. She was good about this rule, but over time, she asked to wear it more and more frequently, and the immediate return rule began to slide a bit.
Things changed when Dave got sick and eventually passed. Annalyse found great comfort in wearing the necklace because, I think, in some way, it made him feel close to her. I understood that and let her wear it 24/7 with the understanding that she was borrowing it, but the necklace was still mine. This was more challenging for me than you might think. Letting it out of my sight, my home, my reach somehow made Dave feel further away from me but there was comfort in knowing how it reassured Annalyse.
Making another time jump here, to May of 2024. This is when I embarked on a SouthWest driving adventure with my two youngest. Much like my current trip with another daughter, the SW trip was one of the adventures that Dave and I had talked about taking together. I have since begun scheduling them with my kids. The quest across parts of the SW was spectacular and it was a great bonding time for the three of us. On the last full day, before flying out and heading off in different directions, the clasp on the necklace broke. I was happy to have had the necklace with us because of the special meaning it carried. Though sad it had broken, we were all relieved that it had not slipped off and been lost forever. My son was the only one heading directly back towards home so it was agreed that he would carry it back and that I would arrange repairs upon my return.
That was the last we saw of the necklace for nearly a year. We searched everywhere, to no avail. We called the hotel where we had last stayed but nothing had been found. Again, I recognize, it is just a “thing” and I tried to release it, but in reality, I mourned the loss of this chain. I toyed with the idea of replacing it with another gold rope chain, but it would not have been the same. (Not to mention that the price of gold has gone through the roof!) I gave up looking for it, and, though still filled with remorse, I tried to mentally release it.
One last time jump takes us to May of this year. I was cleaning and sorting through some of the random stuff that accumulates in my closet. And there, in a sunglasses case that hadn’t been used since the SW trip, was the beautiful, lost, gold rope chain with the broken clasp. I thanked God. I smiled ear to ear! I cried! I took a photo of it and sent it to my kids. The very next morning, I went straight to the jewelers to arrange for repairs. There were balls dropped and unexpected delays on the end of the jeweler, but the good news is that I got the chain back, repairs made, the night before my Alaskan adventure with Bria. Having the chain here with me, shimmering brightly around my neck, is like having Dave and my other children here with me. It brings me joy as I feel them close.
God’s timing is good. I certainly would have liked to have had it in my possession sooner, but to find it right before this trip, and returned hours before our departure, just adds to its precious story. The moral? I don’t know but if I were to guess, it would be that things that are lost can yet be found. This is true for physical items and individuals. Don’t give up and continue to trust in God and his perfect timing.
Thank you, as always, for joining here today. -Wanda
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