My godparents, or compadres, visited almost every year from El Salvador. My godfather (padrino), Tio Ricardo, was my mom's brother, and his wife, my tia and godmother (madrina), is still alive.
With each visit, they would bring dulce de leche, queso seco, and other various foods from El Salvador. But because I was their godchild, I would always receive a small box with words of love and blessings etched on the top in Tia's writing.
Those boxes always contained beautiful, airy gold pieces of jewelry. Rings, earrings, necklaces, bracelets. As I got older, they mixed in silver and gems, some of them custom made for me. I saved almost all of the boxes along with the jewelry -- the cases still maintain their distinct smell from my compadres home.
As my grandmother started to travel back and forth to El Salvador, she would also began bringing me little boxes of baubles as well. The presentation of the gift was almost more wonderful than the gift itself, with grandma asking me to come in to her room and wait while she searched around her suitcase looking for that tiny box. She would open it slowly as I sat beside her wondering what treasure she was about to show me.
"Para ti," she would say, her hazel eyes twinkling with delight. "It's for you." I would squeal, hug her, and cover her rosy cheeks with kisses.
I learned to love jewelry because of my compadres and my grandmother. I rarely wore the jewelry when I was in high school and college; it seemed too mature, too fragile. Now, I wear each piece as much as I can.
Now, my mom carries the little box of jewelry tradition when she travels with my dad. She's fond of rings, and now so am I.
But gold hoop days are my favorite. The hoops in this photo were a gift from my Tia. I wear my hair loose, curls abound. Or taut and pulled back into a fierce pony tail with my burgundy specs.. Either way, I feel free, inspired, and writerly. I want to sit at coffee shops and scribble in my journal (as I was doing in this photo). Or go on a date with my husband and stare at him over sassy beverages.
