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Jill's Pearls...A Pearl Story
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Jill's Pearls
A Pearl Story
by
Vicki Olson
Alaskan Friendship Pearl Story
Jill and I became friends during a challenging time in both of our lives. Jill had moved to Alaska from California to become a part of her daughter and grand-daughter's lives. She had trained to be an English teacher but had not obtained a job in her field. She ended up opening a little bakery gift shop just off the beaten track in downtown Anchorage.
I met her as I was trying to start a business selling my artwork to shops such as hers. Over several years, our friendship deepened as we began to share our struggles.
Brave Little Bakery Shop
Her darling little shop was just a block off the main street and did not get the business she hoped for. After several years it became apparent that this venture was filled with difficulty.
We prayed and encouraged each other continually. Many, many dark wintery mornings Jill rose at the crack of dawn to make her baked goods, greeting her few regular customers with grace, a smile and always concern for their troubles.
Her sweet little shop was a welcome haven from the dreary cold outside. Only a handful of us knew she could barely pay the monthly bills.
Still, she persevered.
Does God Have Other Plans?
As time went on we talked about the possibility that God just had other plans for her and perhaps that was why this was not a financial success.
Jill shared with me a dream she had had years ago. In it she was sitting in a lovely garden. She knew she belonged there. She was very relaxed and dressed with elegance. She was wearing an exquisite pair of pearl earrings.
Well...need I say this was not the life she was living. Alaskan winters can be dark, bitter and covered in snow. After several years, there came a time when she had no choice but to close her doors.
Losing Track of Each Other
Jill went back to California and we lost track of each other.
I am a pianist and artist. One day I was sitting in a beautiful botanical garden in Alaska. It was a peaceful setting for me to paint and mentally prepare for an upcoming music performance. I sat on a bench bathed in sunshine, surrounded by the rich fragrances and colors of a summer garden at it's peak.
"Oh, Jill, where are you?"
I remembered my friend Jill and spoke out, "Oh, Jill where are you? You need to be sitting here with your pearl earrings!"
Several days later I was again in this garden performing on the piano for a popular local garden festival. It is one of my favorite events.
All of a sudden I heard a familiar, joyful, "Hello!" It was Jill! She had come back to visit her daughter's family.
Pearl Story Transformation
Life had taken a different turn and she shared with me about a teaching job she had taken in a small California town. We marveled and laughed at how our lives had changed. This was not the time to focus on tears of the past.
Jill looked wonderful! The smile was the same as I remembered but there was something just a bit more stylish about her...and then I saw them. The pearl earrings!
Jill finally had her pearl earrings.
A pair of simple, understated pearls graced a very elegant woman.
This gracious lady and friend had embraced hardship and through it had been transformed into a pearl of great price.
The perfect ending of this pearl story.
See Vicki's Artwork at www.vickiolson.net
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