As 2025 kicks into full force, I’ve had so many things I’ve wanted to write about. Most notably is how the calendar says February 5th, but my brain is registering January 36th. Within the past month, my kids’ school has been vandalized with racist and anti-semitic graffiti, our country has a new president who has been signing Executive Order after EO like it’s his job (pun intended?), additional hostages from the October 7th, 2023 attack have returned home, my kids have had a snow day with no snow, and LA has incurred incredible destruction from wildfires that people are debating were started by, climate change, G-d (to punish the rich) or the Democrats.
For some, life is chaos right now. And in that chaos, people have been forced to leave behind their homes and material pieces that hold memories. In an emergency evacuation, people must make decisions swiftly, taking care to put safety first, practicality second.
What do you think to “take with you” when time is of the essence? The first thing that comes to everyone’s mind after a few items of clothing and health essentials like medications and supplies for pets are items that carry sentimental value. Photographs, heirlooms, and, notably, jewelry. A friend in LA who packed her bags in case they were leaving looked at her daughter’s bag and it was filled with every bauble she owned - mostly jewelry she made with crafting kits, costume jewelry, her best friend necklace she shares with another, and then a necklace she received for her Bat Mitzvah - which happens to be the Mini Star of David necklace from my website.
For this sweet girl, these were the items that defined her life, her memories, her culture, her moments with family and friends. To be clear, her mom decided to edit the bag to make room for essentials and, in the end, they did not need to leave. But there isn’t a single person who hasn’t mentally (and now I’d say many have physically) packed their to-go bag.
Jewelry is regarded as a luxury, an adornment, an accessory, not a necessity. But that doesn’t change the fact that it is also a tangible connection to our past, our loved ones, and our personal histories. In addition to a sentimental keepsake, jewelry can be a valuable asset. But when you ask people about their pieces, certain ones will never be sold, the value isn’t in the dollar sign, it’s in the significant life event or celebration, it’s in the generation that it was passed down from, it’s in the friendships shared, it’s in the family created, it’s in the hard work done to have been able to afford the piece, and it’s something created by Earth over millions of years that now sits on your finger, your neck, your wrist, your lapel.
Our safety and our physical and mental well being are what truly matter. Jewelry is just a comforting reminder of that. It’s compact nature is easy to carry, the emotional weight, however, is immeasurable.
So “now what?” to those who lost those items? Like I said, our physical and mental well being are what truly matter. These items are just what I said, a reminder. But the memories and what these items remind us of are still with us and stay with us until the end. Every material thing can be replaced. The sentimental value it holds likely can’t, but it’s a lesson in mental stamina to break from the material object itself. New celebrations, new moments, more generations are to come. We start again, we remake, we buy new, we find, and most importantly, we move on. It’s time to rebuild and recover, holding on to the stories and memories of our cherished items. They are the guide for the new path forward.