Don't Get So Full of Yourself Auntie

I'm not much into jewelry. However, I do own a few pieces I treasure. A couple of them are pins and pendants with hand-painted designs by Russian artisans. There's a bouquet of flowers, a portrait of a young girl, a troika galloping through snow and a firebird in flight.

On the rare occasions that I wear them, I do so proudly, not only because they are truly beautiful but also because they ground me to my past, my origins. Nor does it hurt to hear all the nice comments I get about them.

Today I wore my firebird pendant. It's a tear drop shape with the firebird worked in vibrant oranges, reds and shimmering gold on a black lacquer background. I was curious if my 2 year old niece would ask me about it. But she made no mention of it as we played at playgroup. Even when other adults asked me about it, Missy didn't say a word.

I shouldn't have worried or even been too curious. After a couple of hours she finally made her comment - "What's that? A Chicken?"

There's nothing like a 2 year old to keep one truly grounded.