Reclaiming Your Childhood: Priceless

 This story might take a minute to tell. Bear with me.

When my sister and I were little girls, my mother took us to a large baptist church in town. Even as a child, I never remember feeling welcome there.  But I do remember the lovely older couple that kept my Sunday School class. They gave us saltines and kool-aid, and I remember thinking they would be nice grandparents to have.

At Christmastime, the Sunday School class was set to have a random gift exchange. Every child was supposed to bring a gift that could be exchanged with any other child.....no specific gift designations.  I received the gift of an Avon 7 bead necklace which was very popular at the time.  I loved it so much and was thrilled to have it!  I was somewhere between 5 and 7 at the time.

(Back in the 1970's and 80's, Avon was a cosmetic company that was also known for it's inexpensive jewelry.  I couldn't find a price on what this necklace would have cost back then, but apparently there is a lot of interest in these vintage pieces now.)

Not long after I got home with my lovely new necklace, my mom received a call from the mother of the boy who gave it to me, Alan.  She explained that I would have to give the necklace back because it wasn't meant for me, it was meant for another little girl in the class, a girl to whom the family was more endeared, Tiffany.

I don't remember all the details of how it happened or how my parents responded.  I remember that I cried because I had to give it back.  And I remember being mad at Alan for giving it me, mad at his mother for making me return it, and even mad at Tiffany that she, for some reason, deserved to have the necklace given to her.

Again, this was supposed to be a "Secret Santa" random type of gift exchange.

Recently, I gasped with surprise when I saw the necklace in an antique shop.  It was only $5 and the chain was tarnished beyond relief.  But the beads still looked good.  And I recognized it as the necklace I had to give back over 40 years ago.  

In the shop without my purse, I asked my long-time friend/on-off boyfriend/life companion to buy it for me. Somehow, I felt, if he purchased it for me I could reclaim the bad feelings I had from it.  

Once I had it and my mate went off to peruse other things, I sat on a bench outside and looked at it for a long time.  I remember how hurt my mother was by what happened.  I remember that my father had been both annoyed and angry.  I remember that even though I didn't fully understand, this was the first time I felt both rejected at church and rejected by a certain type of people.  I remember how it was the first time I felt classism and favoritism, even though I didn't have the words for it at the time.  I remember my mother apologizing to me for having to give it back.  I remember she and I being sad together.....sad for the loss of a low-priced trinket that seemed to carry a heavy weight.  

Is there a lesson in this?  Of course.  There are several.  Don't hurt young children.  Watch your words and your deeds.  Think about how your actions can trickle down to the innocent.  Let things go.  Move on from the past.  Realize how the past can't hurt you now.  Remember how hard your parents tried.  

Oh, and one final lesson.  Avon made some pretty cute shit back in the day.  Lovely scents, collectible cologne bottles and pretty necklaces.  This post and this girl ain't mad at them.  Not at all.