Our Story

From Left to Right:
Corinne's Sister-in-Law Chris Pruitt
Corinne's Daughter Hallie Cargnoni
Keith's gorgeous daughter and Corinne's Niece Esther Pruitt
Corinne Cargnoni

Since October 2012, I have been wearing a bracelet on my right wrist. It is something I wear to remind me of my brother and to "hold me" while I slowly make it through another day with him gone. These simple wooden beads on elastic have taken on such a healing message for me and everyone that wears them. It has become my mission and artistic passion to keep making them, sharing them, selling them, wearing them and knowing that all along it is helping me understand what my story looks like now that my brother is in heaven.

Grief is powerful and will turn your world upside down. For me, it made me find my art. My prayer bracelets continue to shine light down on my path and everyone that wears them has shared the same story with me. My beads are wooden. I can tell others' stories through the beads using their numbers and their colors. These knots in between each bead are where I find the most pleasure, each one is "perfectly imperfect" just like us. The knots give each bracelet character, just as each step of our lives defines us as unique. As we "untie our knots" or troubles, you can feel the bracelet holding you and reminding you of your thoughts, hopes and prayers. 

Each bracelet is packaged in a little paper bag with a green ribbon. On the bag I write:
“Made by hand with love, healing and celebration - Bead by bead and knot by knot.
Wear it to help you pray. Wear it when you play. If someone else needs it more...give it away."

This message has sent so many people into the spirit of compassion and sharing. This is the spirit that my brother brought to the world. My bracelets are truly being made from my wounded heart to keep the love for my brother alive in this world. The healing that each bracelet brings me is sharing something more powerful to others as these bracelets come and go into their lives. Holding their wrist through the next challenge or celebration and who knows, maybe they are merely "seasoning" the bracelet so one day they can hand it to the next person that needs to be held and celebrated on their journey.

Corinne and Keith

Keith Lockett Pruitt

Corinne's brother Keith Cargnoni and Corinne's son Mitchell Cargnoni

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How Corinne and Emily Met

"So, sometimes when your world gets really small because you need it to be safe you never know who will open a window to let some light in.....or open a window so you can actually start looking out at the world differently.

My life was settling into a safe routine as I tried to restructure my world trying to slowly accept that my brother was gone.  I was talking to my sister-in-law, Chris, via email and phone.  Each of us congratulating each other for making it to another Friday.  No matter how we got there we would send each other an email.... "Yeah, you made it!!!  It is Friday.  Another week.”  The weekly celebration of muscling through work, family, and life was something to celebrate when your heart weighs 500 pounds and is begging you to crawl into bed and cry.

When I would go to work I was often greeted by this amazingly gorgeous girl.  Long black hair, smiling face, big brown eyes.  She always had the funniest things to share...tiny little unexpected noises out of nowhere that would send you cackling.  Her timely wisecracks can make you feel like you are 14 years old and back in middle school and laughing with no worries in the world.

So we would grind through our hours together.  We were in different departments but could catch a quick joke, stare or smirk every few hours that would send us giggling and make the world feel so light.  Sometimes I could actually look through a window to see my friend...and that was my window.  The tiny window back to laughter, silly, and bringing my heart back to life.

My friend did not know much about what was going on in my life and how broken my heart was.  I am certain she did by looking at my face...one day she told me about a great under eye cover up that I should try!!! Now that is why we need friends that are a couple of decades younger.  They tell the truth and their eyes still work.  As I had the make-up person apply the eye concealer I thought, how lucky I am that someone cares enough to try to hide my shadows.  And that knowing her is slowly pulling me out of the “shadows.”

So the laughter was my medicine and the window was my friendship with the most magical and special person that can make a loud “meow” that will burst you into a fit of laughter.  This girl is the Emily you see with everything Healing Knots.  One day she handed me a little piece of brown paper with Healing knots circled by a bracelet with some round beads on the loop – “Corinne, this is the logo for your bracelets,” she said with a smile.  She was right. And it is.

She opened the window of being creative and being brave.  She told me.... “Corinne, I am making a Facebook page for your bracelets”....I cringed. “No, not Facebook. I can’t to do that.”  She said, “What are you talking about, you will not do anything differently, I just want to tell people what you are doing.”

And that is what started the Healing Knots Facebook, followed by the Healing Knots Blog and the big kicker – Healing Knots website.  All Emily. All of this creative quest from the sweet girl that was across the hall from me for the year that I was limping through the day. Her laughter started to heal my heart, her support of my bracelets brought me such joy and the gift of her friendship reminded me that healing is still possible from the youngest most gorgeous girl across the hallway.

Her talent and courage in such a young soul is overwhelming and makes me feel like a tiny speck on this planet.  One day you will see her name in lights!

My family loves her, I love her, and Healing Knots only exists because of her.

Emily. Hats off, you rock the world.  Thanks for opening my window and bringing Healing Knots to life!"

-written by Corinne Cargnoni | original found here

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I am so lucky to have a select group of people in which I am extremely close to. The real deal, true friends. Freshman year, I made so many new, wonderful and fun friends, but they weren't necessarily BFF material. I have always been a fan of the adage that a few close friends are more valuable than several shallow friendships.

Corinne and I often get asked how we met. We wish there was some amazing, novel-worthy story...but we met at work. Shortly after starting in June 2012, I decided I needed to start making friends, so I went up to her and started talking about Beyoncé . (When in doubt, always talk about Beyoncé.) She was so sweet to just nod her head, laugh at appropriate times and follow-up with questions.

In the following months, Corinne would bring me "chofee," as I like to call it, or, as the rest of the world knows it, mocha. She always knew when I needed a pick me up and would deliver the caffeine. By lunchtime, I would start to get hungry and she would always bring me the yummiest treats from her bag, or have the kitchen staff whip me up a little snack. Really, from the moment I got to work at 8 AM, she was in my department asking me what I needed and what she could bring to me. From the start, she has been so selfless and giving, which I realized quickly is just in her nature.

Over that summer, we laughed at the smallest of things and had inside jokes as if we were in middle school all over again. Not much has changed since then. We have a few decades between us in age, but that has never stopped us from acting like we've known each other forever. Corinne's 18 year old son Nathan asked her the other day, "Do Emily's parents know that, because of her age, she should really be friends with me?" But, that's the best thing about our friendship. We meet somewhere in the middle of my 20-something years and her 40-something years and bring all of our experiences together to create this amazing thing that is our friendship.

I am truly lucky to have become such great friends with Corinne over the last two years. She gives the best advice: a mixture of motherly and friendly. She is always brightening up my day with some encouraging text message or a quick email. Corinne brings the sun out on the rainiest of days. Another one of the great parts of having a friend who is further ahead in life is that she also brings an amazing family with her. Her husband Bob is hilarious and one of the best chefs I know. I can't even begin to count the number of times I have gone to the Cargnoni household for a business meeting, and there is Bob grilling up something delicious and pouring the wine. With two amazing people as parents, it is pretty obvious that all three kids are so full of love, talent, sass and humor.

We came up with this thing that between the two of us, Corinne and I share 72 years of wisdom. Which is simply how we rationalize some of our silly antics. Corinne is 100% an "ask and you shall receive" kind of person. Driving home from Arkansas, I could not stop talking about how badly I wanted an egg roll. Such a random craving, but sure enough, we stop in Dallas at Lover's Egg Roll and eat them in the car as it gets dark.

I wish there were enough hours in the day or words in the dictionary to describe my love and gratitude for Corinne. While the lesson I learned is that friendship knows no age, she herself has taught me: to be brave, to not care what others think, to stand up for myself, to not own other people's problems, to just love people when there is nothing else to give, and so much more. So, that is my greatest lesson from college. You never know who you will meet, how old/young they will be, or how much they will impact your life. But when you meet them, you will have a friend for life.

Rooftop Margaritas, Fayetteville 2014

Cheers to Corinne and her sweet family for all of the gifts they have showered me with over the last two years, but more importantly, for being the greatest gift of all.

-written by Emily LaCroix | original found here