Aging with Grace

A lily or a rose never pretends, and its beauty is that it is what it is.

Jiddu Krishnamurti

When my sister sent me an Etsy gift card for my birthday and told me to find something French, I didn’t have to look long. I put her card together with one from my husband and found this pendant. When I spoke to the antique dealer, she told me it was a vintage, sterling, piece found on a New Orleans charm bracelet. Since, my maiden name is French and it’s similar to many surnames in New Orleans, it seemed to be synchronicity. It was there waiting for me.

The fleur de lis, in French history, goes back over 1,000 years to the reign of King Clovis I. Since that time it has come to represent the French monarch’s divine right to rule. The three petals of the flower are thought to represent the Holy Trinity. It is seen on everything from jewelry to stationary and for all the reasons listed above has always held a special place in my heart.

I know very little about my family history except that my paternal and fraternal grandparents are French. My mother’s adoptive parents were told her parents were with a French dance troupe touring North America. I have never met my father’s parents and know very little about them other than that they were French. Which explains my last name. I think the lack information about my family has caused me to be particularly interested in French history and culture. A glance at my book shelves will affirm that.

One of my overused statements, “It is what it is”., drew me to this weeks quote. Like the lily symbolized by the fleur de lis, I have come to embrace my French heritage for what it is. I wish I knew more, still I have learned to appreciate what I do know.