My Grandma, Patricia, who is 70 years old, always has on her cross necklace or brooch no matter where she goes. For her, those are not just jewelry pieces, but a connection to her community. Being kicked out of the church at the age of 15 for being pregnant, she lost that group, and somewhere she thought of as her safe place, her sanctuary.

My Grandma suffered the consequences when she became pregnant, but that didn’t stop her from returning to her once very comfortable community. She was scared of returning to church for a long time, scared that she wouldn’t belong as she did when she was younger. Still, that did not stop her. At around the age of 60, she chose to finally go back and has not missed a Sunday since. She wears and cherishes the necklace and brooch now, as a reminder of the connection and belonging she has within that community she was once so strongly a part of.