Just a quick note: I’m on a summer schedule now, so I’ll be posting only once a week until September…

Mother's Day gift 2009: Alex Monroe, 22k gold plate-over-sterling silver dragonfly pendant necklace set with a tiny Tsavorite.
Grateful is a state of being, and I’m in it. Our eldest son, Josh, just returned from a sojourn to Japan (Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto). It was a two-week excursion taken upon the completion of his second year of college; he left the Friday after his last exam.
Not all was well at the beginning of his trip — he was on a flight from Detroit to Tokyo where there were four confirmed cases of the H1N1 virus aboard. Almost immediately upon his arrival he and his traveling buddy were quarantined in their youth hostel. When the next morning rolled around, a couple of medics arrived to take their body temperature. Josh’s was 99.5. Now through all the years I’ve been a mom, 99.5 was never a fever in our household, unless there were accompanying symptoms. However, the Japanese hold to a more stringent standard. Suddenly, a medical crew, speaking little or no English, appeared wearing Hazmat suits, helmets, and masks. They buckled Josh down on a gurney, placed him inside a bubble-lined ambulance, turned on the siren, and headed off to the nearest low-pressure hospital room. Once he was admitted, Josh had no human contact, save for the occasional doctor visit (again, suited up, gloved and masked). Even his meals were delivered through a sterilized port in the wall.
The world sim card he bought for the occasion didn’t work in Japan (a word of advice for anyone traveling there: rent a cell phone), and so he skyped us just before they took off with him in the ambulance. Unfortunately, we lost our connection midway through our conversation. That was the last we heard from him for two days. After that we could only get word about his tests and his condition through the U.S. Embassy, and his friend who skyped us every three or four hours (Josh could make local calls but was not permitted to reverse the charges home to us. There was no explanation as to why…).
The Embassy finally called us very late Sunday night with the good news that the hospital would release him in a couple of hours. On Monday morning at 1:30 a.m. we heard the phone ring. It was Josh. He was fine, all the tests came back negative, and after paying the $650 hospital bill (yes, he had to pay the bill), he was permitted to leave. Happy and healthy, Josh then continued on his way to tour Japan.
Oh, and I forgot one little detail: this was Mother’s Day weekend. I think I earned my stripes…don’t you?
And so this necklace, hand selected in Japan by our son, and presented on behalf of himself and his younger brothers, is my Mother’s Day gift 2009. I later discovered that some Native American cultures believe a dragonfly represents renewal after great hardship. The Japanese take the view that it symbolizes courage, strength, and happiness. Believe me, Josh had absolutely no knowledge of the cultural significance of a dragonfly when he purchased the necklace; he thought it matched a pin he mistakenly believed I owned. This is of no import. I haven’t taken the pendant off since his return. I do find the metaphors meaningful, however this ornament will always be special and mostly for a single reason: my son returned safely home to give it to me.