The Necklace

Beautiful -- meaningfully beautiful. Shimmering, inspiring, radiant, captivating, hypnotic, enchanting... I don't tend to be one who typically "oversells a product" but these are just a few of the words I can use to describe Marci's necklace. A blossoming copper vine of sapphire, tourquoise, aquamarine, and amethyst -- perhaps not so in the sense of their geological composition, rather in the sense of their color, their texture, their effect... Beautiful leaves and delicate petals of colored glass, intricately woven across the contours of her pale, precise, perfect neck. Such a necklace carried by such a woman is truly a work of art.

I gave the necklace to her for her first birthday in Holland. The day was a fresh, warm summer's day, spent on the waters of OverIJsel as we drifted dreamily on a boat. It was the kind of day that you can only hope for on a birthday. On that boat, for those hours, we could forget about all the troubles that had been survived and all the troubles that were yet to be survived. Gentle breezes massaged our weary lives as we swayed to the music of the rocking wooden deck. I remember that day for its serenity and quiet joy. Pure rest. Resolute relaxation. Marci's first birthday in Holland was a breathtaking day of blue skies and sparkling waters, and the necklace that I gave her that morning almost seemed to catch the color and brilliance of that day... It's a beautiful necklace -- meaningfully beautiful.

We had first laid eyes on the necklace on my first birthday in Holland, in Haarlem. That was a day that stood out for its strength and clarity -- a brisk, clear day in February as we made our way through the tiny streets of old Haarlem. We held onto each other for warmth, for our winter coats were still in a crate, on a ship, somewhere between Ohio and the warehouses of Antwerp. On that first birthday in Holland, we warmed each other and enjoyed spirited conversation as we explored the labyrinth of central Haarlem. It was our first real excursion since moving to Amsterdam a month previous. She helped me choose a wristwatch from the old 18th Century jeweler, and then, as we walked beneath the fortress walls of the Grote Sint Bavokerk, we discovered the necklace. The small winkeltje was called Belle Blauwe, tucked within the sheltering wings of the ancient cathedral, and indeed the necklace featured in the shop's tiny window was "Beautiful Blue." It mesmerized us and drew us into the shop, where she tried on a couple of of the delicate glass creations... And from that day, I knew exactly what I would be getting Marci for her birthday that year: something beautiful -- meaningfully beautiful...

She loves the necklace, and she has loved it from the moment she unfolded the giftwrapping; and I love it, too... Yet I must confess that my love for the necklace is wrapped up in symbolic significance, as much as aesthetic appreciation. All of these days, these experiences, these memories are wrapped up in Marci's necklace -- and not just in the necklace, but in the woman for whom the necklace is perfectly suited. My wife. My Marci. The love of my life.

I love her because she is beautiful -- meaningfully beautiful. Indeed, she is shimmering, inspiring, radiant, captivating, hypnotic, enchanting... A blossoming, blue-eyed beauty... Delicate, intricate, perfect... Fresh, warm, dreamy... Gentle, serene, quiet, joyful... Restful, refreshing, brilliant, sparkling... Clear, spirited, mesmerizing. She is one of the few sure things in my life. I love her and admire her for everything she has been, is, and is becoming... Like the necklace, Marci is -- and will forever be -- an absolute work of art.