My mom was never one to wear a lot of jewelry. She always made sure that what she had looked great (well, mostly. I grew up in the 70’s, so she did have a couple of period pieces that would have been best left at home) but also simple and understated. In fact a perfect word to describe how my mother dressed was “deliberate”. She was very particular about what she wore and how she presented herself, and this included the accessories she chose, as well. One piece that she almost always wore, however, was a piece of religious jewelry It was a stick pin of gold that was a cross with a flame behind it. [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Methodist Cross Pendant[/caption] Like the rest of her jewelry, there was nothing flashy about it; in fact, if you didn’t recognize it as the symbol of the Methodist church, you might not even be sure what you were looking at and just think it was another piece of fine jewelry. For my mother, however, it was important way for her to keep her faith alive. Much like her jewelry, her religion was never about being flashy and ostentatious, but solid and secure. Just as important to her was when other people did recognize what it stood for. It served as a great way to introduce herself to new people and as a way to bring people together, an important tool in these very divisive times. Faith has been an important building block in my family for generations, and much like their grandmother, my children and my sister’s children want to make sure that they carry their faith with them as well. That is why, when each of the children turned twelve, as a family we went to the same local jewelry store to look for a piece of religious jewelry. Now they each have their own special piece of jewelry, with all of the daughters choosing a stick pin just like my mothers. Religious jewelry is a perfect gift and an eternal symbol for one’s faith, helping to remind us all that there is a greater power for all of us to serve.