When I was a child, and home sick, my mother would give me a little bell to ring if I needed her. My brother and sister also had the use of the bell when they were sick. I loved that bell. I knew as long as I had that bell, my Mom or my Dad would come into the room and make me feel better just by being there. Its sound brought me comfort.
Space shuttle bell on the left; Tinkerbell bells in the back. Chilean bells in the front.
So, of course, when I had children, I also wanted them to have a special bell to ring for me. I tried many. For my daughter, I tried a little plain bell first. But the sound was really dull. With her bedroom upstairs, I needed something that would sound better and stronger. We found one in Disney World. A little Tinkerbell bell that was perfect, as my daughter loved Tinkerbell. In fact, my Dad would call her ‘Tink’ all the time. Although in reality, she thought she was Tigerlily. That is a story for another day!
When that Tinkerbell bell eventually broke from use, we purchase a new one. It was not the same for her. Too bright, not darkened with use. But luckily, we were able to rehang the original bell, fixing it and reclaiming its tinker.
For my son, I purchased a bell from the Kennedy Space Center. I am not sure why the space center sold bells, but the sound was good. Since my son liked space ships and rockets, this bell was perfect for him, with its dangling space shuttle.
Whenever they were sick, I would give each of them their special bell to call me when needed. Did it always work? No, not often. Usually they would just call me, and I would come. But for me it was a comfort to know they had a bell. In my mind, having a bell was about continuity and love. By giving them a bell, I was giving them the power to bring me to them, like a magical wish.
I always have been attracted to the sound of bells. I love listening to handbell choirs. There was even a Hershey’s television commercial that used chocolate kisses as bells. I loved it. So when I travel, if I see an interesting bell, I am attracted to it. I did fine some lovely bells in Chile a few years ago. To be honest, although they are lovely to look at, they do not sound good at all. In fact, no bell quite sounds as good as my mother’s bell.
It is a small brass bell, with a bit of red trim, set in a holder. On the bottom it says “Made In India.” But 60 years ago, when my mother first had this bell, I do not think there were many things from India for sale in the USA. I now know that it is called an elephant claw bell, because of the shape of the bottom. I have seen several similar bells with base for sale on line. Sometimes they are called “antique ceremonial meditation bells.”
I can see it being a meditation bell, as It has the loveliest of tones. My bell has the same tones as those used by my yoga instructor to indicate the end of class. But for my bell, when I ring it, my soul and heart returns to those happy memories. And I see my Mom in my mind — my young mom, the mother of three small children.
Another bell was important to my family. We used it only in the Catskills, my Mom and my Grandma used a large metal dinner or cow bell to call us to come in. The bell hung outside the door of my grandparents’ house, facing the back towards our bungalow. We had four acres of land including woods, so they often did not know where we, the children, were playing. Sometimes we were at our neighbors’ yards playing. It did not matter, when heard that large bell ringing, we knew to come.
Grandma would also ring that bell when she wanted one of us to come down to her house to get something or do something for her. My mother would ring to bring us in, yelling our names along with sounding the bell. It was used daily. When she had grandchildren, my Mom used the bell to call them in as well.
Th bell is still at our Catskills’ home waiting for another generation to be called. Its loud clanging, not so beautiful in tone, but beautiful in memories.
The sound of bells chiming almost always puts me in a good mood and make me feel better.
https://www.thetabernaclechoir.org/videos/carol-of-the-bells-mormon-tabernacle-choir.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pe4IZ7aGikw
zicharonot 