sophia

 

 

This is exactly how I felt almost 18 years ago upon the news that my father and stepmother were expecting a child. Her name was Sophia. It was an exciting time and my family was looking forward to showering our little princess with lots of love. We found out during my stepmother’s pregnancy that baby Sophia was going to be born with Down’s syndrome. It didn’t change the way we felt about her in any way. We began to educate ourselves about the genetic disorder and eagerly awaited her arrival.

 

Sophia was due to arrive in September of 1996. In August of that year, my stepmother, Charlotte, became ill and after visiting the hospital we learned that Sophia had passed and Charlotte had a stillbirth. We were all devastated to say the least. This child that we were so ready to meet and love was not going to be coming home with us. I was 12 and vividly remember the funeral service. It was by far the saddest one I’ve ever had to attend.

 

While I was in jewelry school my grandmother gave me a gold teardrop necklace that she had found in her jewelry box and didn’t want. Thinking of Sophia, I carved an angel wing out of the gold teardrop. I never take my angel wing off and named the angel wing necklace in my jewelry collection, Sophia, in her honor. I have made many in the past couple of years for people who have lost their child or someone close to them. I have made others for mamas whose children are their living angels. To each person, the "sophia" necklace takes on a different meaning, making it beautiful and unique to every one who wears it. It tells their individual story. For me, it symbolizes my connection to my baby sister whom I never met, but whom I have always loved. She is and always will be my angel.