pearl

an anniversary

The traditional gift for the 30th wedding anniversary is pearls. Pearls are formed when an irritant, such as a grain of sand, finds its way inside an oyster or other mollusk. The animal secretes a substance, mother-of-pearl, to encase the interloper in a protective shell.

When all is said and done, we have an item as beautiful as any gemstone.

Perhaps on Wednesday, my brain should be given a pearl. It will be the 30th anniversary of the incident signaling the presence of a tumor. Friday the 14th is the anniversary of my surgery. When my mother received word of my seizure, she said her church had a prayer meeting. She reported an experience of the Spirit in which water seemed to be flowing down on her. She said to my wife Banu at the hospital, “I’m at peace about it. He is healed.”

Pearl is especially appropriate, since it is in fact an irritant which through transformation results in an object of elegance. Maybe my tumor (certainly an irritant!) could be put in the same category. But often, one must see inward before seeing outward. If I can see a pearl within—that is, my brain—I can certainly see a pearl without.

A reality of impeccable beauty and elegance is my wife, Banu. She has supported me in ways beyond measure.

She has sometimes playfully asked me what would happen if I didn’t have her. I have usually said that I would be face down in the gutter. And that likely isn’t far from the truth!

A wonderful thing about pearls is that they emerge from life. My wife has been an endless source of that iridescent shimmer.

I don’t suppose I can find an anniversary card fitting for this occasion…

Perhaps a “Thank you, Lord” would suffice.