Since My Dad Died

Once again, writing saves my life

I got out my buttons and beads this weekend with my granddaughter, who is six. She picked through them with fascination and care, as she always does. And she found one she hadn’t noticed before—a silver beetle charm. A scarab, actually. In ancient Egypt, scarabs were symbols of eternal life. Here’s how the internet explains:

Scarabs were symbols of rebirth, resurrection, transformation, and growth. People wore scarab amulets for good luck and protection. The bodies of the dead were adorned with scarabs to ensure that they could travel safely to the afterlife and move on to the next world.

I already knew this about scarabs. When I was a fifth-grade teacher—20 years ago now, which seems impossible—our class studied ancient Egypt. We took it very seriously: the stories, the rituals, the art, the mystery. The shadow puppet play we put on that year was almost terrifying in its otherworldliness. And for the winter holidays, I gave scarab charms to all my students. The one in the bead bin is a…