"INNOCENCE" - First Decade of My Life

“INNOCENCE” - My first decade of life                            

Pearls - Bows - Stars - Bracing myself with childhood memories.

Today, I embark on a journey of sorts.  Feeling that it is only to provide my daughters with brief accounts or rather recollections of my life - concise in decades.

Born privileged, into a family where real things mattered, I was raised with a great deal of love, passion for knowledge, family, social awareness, and compassion.   My father, the Doctor, the Mason, the Philosopher, Astronomer, Linguist, Political Activist. Writer, Thinker and Social Elite among other things, was the vital pillar, role model and hero during my first ten years of life. 

This instinctive attempt to write decadal life briefs and create bracelets representative of the very same, may be too ambitious, yet it will at the very least fuel the flame I carry within.

Imported French Lace, Exquisite Spanish Linen, Pastel Hues, Highly Polished Leather Shoes, Sparkly Diamond Stud Earrings and Big, Big, Big Bows defined our custom handmade wardrobe, not taking into account our daily school uniform which was also flawless yet subdued.  

When I say we, I refer to my older and younger sisters – I was the “middle child” and the connotations that come along with that title.  As expected, we all excelled in catholic school, piano lessons and dance, with the exception of me – ballet did not resonate with my somewhat stout physique.  The first decade of my life left me with magnificent values as well as unique and wonderful memories, enhanced by the innocence, dreams, and wonders of a child.  Although my mother was extremely influential in my life during decades to follow, my fondest memories are of my father and his love for humanity - in particular, the less fortunate.  He dedicated his life to healing, teaching and growth of mind and spirit. 

Since I can remember, as a very young child, I eagerly awaited his arrival late in the afternoon, as did my siblings.  There was something about his presence that strengthened our sense of self.  He provoked our natural curiosity, never dimming or denying the needs of a vigorous intellect.   We were taught the lessons chess has to offer, the wonders of the night sky, the telescope and the constellations, as well as the beauty and infinite wonders of our universe and all living organisms. He taught us resilience by example and were never sheltered from the insurmountable of daily living.  I remember his contagious sense of empathy which unknown to him impacted my emotional intelligence as evidenced later in my life.   He promoted our creativity not only through academic expression, but also by exposing us to a multitude of basic social, intellectual and literary geniuses such as Jules Gabriel Verne – works that influenced my philosophical beliefs to date.  I could go on forever about this man that impacted my life so deeply, yet taking into account that this is merely a post which gave birth to a so called “jewel”- for me, anyway, I must culminate the story with what was the most painful wound of my life - his death.

The claws of communism, synonymous with blood, revolutions and misery, proved to be intrinsically life changing for millions of Cubans, and my father was a victim of its regime.  “Your father went to heaven with the angels” my mother whispered while boldly holding back her tears.  She addressed the three of us at the same time even though I suspect that my older sister knew.    I will spare you the pain, suffering and specifics of our life after the fact.   After all, we were blessed since we were able to leave the fairytale life turned nightmare soon thereafter and begin anew in this great country of ours.  The United States of America – the land I proudly call home!

The tenderness of the bracelet I have designed, is a true reflection of my childhood – “The Good Times” – The Pearls, representative of the finesse I know too well, The Bow, getting them just right, was a daily undertaking, and of course The North Star, representative of my Father’s Wisdom and the Trail Left Behind.   These are the memories I chose to celebrate while fully aware that residual memories will remain vivid, yet unspoken at this time - and…life goes on.