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Give thanks with blessing designs By Bethany Waldrop Keiper
"When upon
life’s billows you are tempest-tossed, When you are discouraged,
thinking all is lost, Count your many blessings, name them one by
one, And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done." --
Johnson Oatman, Jr.
This month, we
take some time to look at two traditions: Thanksgiving and charm
bracelets.
Thanksgiving has
been around since 1621, but it may surprise you to learn just how
old the practice of wearing charms and charm bracelets is, going
back to the Neolithic era. So charms have just a touch more
history and tradition than Thanksgiving. Egyptians were avid charm
collectors, Kings and knights wore them during the middle ages,
and they were a favorite of the wealthy until the English
Renaissance. This brings us close enough in date to even things
out with the date of Thanksgiving and our rebellious pilgrims and
their Native American friends.
Since most
people think of charms as things that they are thankful to have,
or momentos of places they are happy to have been, and
Thanksgiving is a time of giving thanks, I can't believe I've
never put the two together before. But this year I did for some
reason, and "bracelets of blessings" were born.
To make a charm
bracelet, you can start with a plain, thick chain, purchase a
pre-strung bracelet, or you can design your own beaded length with
loops for the charms. Whichever sort of bracelet you make, 4mm or
6mm jump rings and proper tools for opening and closing them are
essential. Charms need plenty of room to dangle freely. One of the most logical choices for these bracelet designs comes from praising God for the blessings He provides. This is the context most people have for Thanksgiving. Give your pretty silver blessings bracelet the religious blessing charms that mean the most to you. For this design, start with a background of small flowers and rounds, and center it with the word ‘blessings’ and a pair of lovely silver angel wings. Then, to personalize it, I included the blessings of my home church, a flowering vine-covered cross, the Bible, and an angel, who represents my Mom, who taught me to go to church in the first place. Of course, yours would be specialized to match your faith and your religious blessings.
Then there are
your everyday blessings to appreciate. Our own Sandy Paluzzi is
thankful for many things this year. I chose just a few to add as
charms to a pretty silver and luster-clear bead strand for a
"bracelet of blessings" for her. Contributing to
To liven things up, you can choose an unusual bracelet for your blessings bracelet, such as this one, which is pre-adorned with metal hearts. Take things a step further by using color charms in metal or pressed glass. If you choose to incorporate glass beads, your charms are really limited only by your imagination. Flower and leaf beads for the gardener, multi-bead charms, or facetted 8mm birthstone beads for family members are just a few examples of how to represent your colorful blessings.
I mentioned that
both of these things, Thanksgiving and charm bracelets, were
traditions. The funny thing about traditions is that they are not
always what they seem. Modern charm bracelets are symbols, a
pretty way of keeping memories of things dear to you as close as
your wrist. But in the past they were used by superstitious people
to ward off evil and enemies. Neolithic man used stones and shells
as amulets to ward off enemies. Superstitious Egyptians
constructed elaborate charm bracelets and necklaces their whole
lives to make sure their afterlife went according to plan. Knights
used charms as a means of identity and as protection.
To most
Americans, Thanksgiving Day means showing your thankfulness by
getting together and sharing your happiness and a gigantic meal.
To the pilgrims, who were very religious, a day of thanksgiving
would have meant a day of fasting and praying. That means no food.
Not even pie. They were very thankful in 1621, during their
harvest feast, which we know as the first Thanksgiving, but they
never repeated it, nor did they call it by any special name. I
plan to celebrate it the way that includes pie. However you
celebrate, I hope your day is blessed!
Resources:
Charm Bracelet
History
Sandy Paluzzi
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