Jamie (name changed for privacy) contacted me about a custom set of prayer beads. I can't retell her story and do it justice, so I'll let her speak for herself:
"I have a friend whose name is Mandy [name changed for privacy]. She and I met at church about 13 years ago. We clicked and instantly became best friends throughout the rest of school. The two of us grew up really rather rough. Rural Pennsylvania isn't all that kind, and our family situations weren't the best. We became each other's shoulder to lean on and have come to consider each other sisters, regardless of the lack of a blood bond. We swore to each other that one day, one of us was going to leave Pennsylvania, get famous, then come get the other.
Well, I was the one who left Pennsylvania, but it was not to become famous. I joined the military. We have been separated since, though we remain in close contact, and whenever I go home to visit, she's one of the first people I go see. My two daughters call her Aunt Mandy. Last summer, I was able to go see her and we saw a concert together. It was a group the two of us loved when we were younger that had reunited for a summer tour. It was an amazing week of reminiscing.
Upon my arrival, I gifted her with a set of love beads that I had come across in the local thrift store. She loved them and they became something she kept close every single day. I had prayed over the beads before I gave them to her, and I truly felt as though there was a spiritual connection between us through those beads. I would call her and she would tell me, "You know, I was just fidgeting with and praying on the beads."
Recently, Mandy's older brother was murdered. In fact, it was only about two weeks ago now that it happened. She has been struggling with his loss, and I have been struggling with grief and frustration that I simply cannot afford to fly back home to Pennsylvania to be with her during this time. This morning she e-mailed me from her work to tell me that the love beads I had given her had broken. They'd gotten caught on her car door and the cord snapped, scattering the beads every which way across her office parking lot. She is devastated.
And I have been searching for a set of prayer beads for her. I came across your shop while searching and love the design of the interfaith prayer beads. When we met, Stacey and I shared the same Methodist beliefs, but over time we have come to consider ourselves more "spiritual" than attached to any one particular denomination. If there is any way you could make a set of prayer beads for the two of us so that we can restore that small tangible piece of connection even while separated by most of the continent, I would forever be grateful."
While Jamie was very grateful, I was, too. Her story touched my heart. Passion, love, friendship, emotions...that is what an artist lives and thrives on. It's what breathes the breath of life into their creations. Working on her prayer beads was an amazing experience for me, and I can only hope that I get to touch even more people with my work, as they touch me with their lives and stories.
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