Find out how Roberta and Debbie reunited at Guideposts.org/RobertaDebbieBy Roberta Messner, HUNTINGTON, WEST VIRGINIAI decided to work with my jeweler, Kelly, to make Debbie a
“story” bracelet. With the right charms, it could be a wearable
reminder for Debbie that she leads an impactful life.
I didn’t realize how perfect my timing was. Kelly told me
she had just acquired a massive box of never-used silver
charms from the 1960s. Each charm Kelly and I lifted from
the box was perfect for Debbie’s bracelet! Did I say my
timing was perfect? Maybe not just mine.An Old-Time
Sewing Machine
Our grandmother
ran a darling altera-
tions shop from her
tiny West Virginia
stone cottage. When
Debbie learned she
was biologically
related to me, she
used to love to say
that we were all “cut
from the same cloth.”
Amethyst Birth-
stone and Heart
When I pulled this
charm from the box,
I gasped. It was
Debbie’s birthstone!
I chose to include
it alongside a heart
charm to symbolize
that Debbie is “all
heart.” She is always
thinking of others
and has shaped many
lives because of it—
including mine.Ohio and
West Virginia
These were the only
state charms in the
box—and they looked
as if they’d been
WS\JRLKYPNO[VɈ[OL
map. My West Vir-
ginia and Debbie’s
Ohio. A reminder
that love and kinship
know no bounds.17