The Necklace that Found Me

A story about timing, memory, and the ways love shows up when we least expect it.

Sometimes the universe leads you into exactly the right place, at exactly the right time — even if you think you’re just killing time before an event.

Last weekend, a friend and I arrived early to a gathering, so we wandered into my favorite high-end consignment shop (one I haven’t been to since my mom died).

It's the kind of shop that feels like it’s holding memories — polished wood, soft light, the faint scent of something vintage, well-loved and warm.

I found a fabulous pair of crocodile skin boots in a creamy winter white (that I don’t need), and my friend found a gold chain with two charms from a jewelry line called LOLA. The sayings on the back were beautiful, full of meaning. I told her, “You have to buy it. It’s so you.” (And then half-joked, “But if you don’t, I will.”)

A few days later, she texted me saying she was having buyer’s remorse. After getting home and researching the charms, she realized they were part of a mother-daughter collection.

She has two sons, which made it both funny and oddly serendipitous.

I didn’t hesitate. I told her I’d buy it from her — because I knew it was meant for me.

I adored my mom. I adore my daughter. And something about those charms — the everyday magic of timing, the meaning in the scripted message, the way it found its way into my hands — felt like it carried both of them.

Now, I wear it every day.

One charm reads: “MOTHER & DAUGHTER — YOU WILL ALWAYS BE A PART OF ME.”

The other says: “MESSENGER OF LOVE.”

On the front, there’s a hummingbird — which reminds me of my dad, who fills his porch with hummingbird feeders every summer. Somehow, this one necklace holds the love of both of my parents — the messenger, and the message.

Maybe it’s coincidence. Maybe it’s connection. Maybe it’s my mom’s way of saying, “I’m still here.”

Either way, I’ve stopped questioning the sooo human moments when love shows up when we least expect it. I just know that it does. And now, it rests right where it belongs — around my neck, right above my heart.

Sometimes the universe leaves little love notes — you just have to walk into the right store to find them. Maybe it wasn’t just jewelry. Maybe it was a little wink from above —Proof that some things aren’t found by chance — they find you.💛