Umbrella Market Magic

by kara emmy

another muggy summer evening, 

i don’t want to go out 

i’ve been reclusive lately  

i know i need to get out

 be among people

telling myself this hasn’t worked

“go to the umbrella market” i hear him whisper, 

“you haven’t been once this year”

“its too crowded, no parking,
i really don’t want to go”

i whine

“you have got to get out, 

be with the living, 

you never know,
you just might find the perfect tomato”

i hear him chuckle…

my brother always was a bit pushy

“ok i’ll go, but if i don’t get a really good parking, 

i’m coming back home” i huff

“good, i’ll start working on that parking space”

i could feel his smile

so, reluctantly i go….

i pull my cherry pie red subaru into the perfect spot that just happened to opened up

 “i really don’t want to be here, too many people” 

a heavy sigh passes from my lips

 i laugh at myself

i get out of my car and walk over to the vegetable vender,  hmm the tomatoes do look good,
i smile at the young woman, we chat a bit about the lovely breeze that has suddenly come up,
giving us relief from the heat.

i wander around the aisles of wares, patty cakes is doing a brisk business; more wonderful produce; someone selling his books, we chat a minute.  “ok, i whisper, time to go”, i hear my name,  it’s a friend who sells jewelry here, he goes to estate sales and picks unusual pieces, i stop to say hello. 

 i turn into the sun, even with my dark glasses i am blinded.  i move carefully towards his tables, jewelry everywhere, 

 (before we go further let me be clear, i am not interested in jewelry, i have my adornments that i have worn for years, things belonging to my mother and grandmothers and the ring i made many years ago, i have no need for more)

i walk over to my friend, he is with a customer, so i wait, i put my bag down and rest my hand on the table.

and then….

“this feels different,”

the thought comes quickly,

my hand lands on something, something almost vibrating, not quite, but almost,  i take off my glasses, can’t see anything close up with them on,  a beautiful turquoise and coral ring, i pick it up and it slips perfectly onto my finger, as if i were made for it.  

as soon as the ring is on, a scene plays out in my mind,

a family is moving out of state, their dog, the dog of their heart gets confused with all the activity  and runs off.  after looking and calling they have no choice but to leave.  a few years later, in their new home, this dog has found them.  

that is how this ring felt, 

it has found me again.

i had studied with a native healer some years ago,

 i spent nearly eight years learning from him, 

 favorite years they were.  

we still speak frequently.

  i sent him a picture of the ring explaining how it came to me , 

he called me immediately and sent a picture of his ring very like mine, just a bit bigger.  

 we are still connected and i am grateful. 

 no matter where i am, 

i am home.