Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Memories


I've been married for over 21 years. I know....it's a long time and it rarely happens anymore. There are very few people I know that have that much history together. I've heard that many times. It's one of my most proudest accomplishments actually. It's not that its been always a piece of cake but it is our success and we've worked together to make the relationship successful on our own terms. So you can imagine all those years, that I've seen my share of Christmas presents. Pajamas, work out videos, you name it, I've seen it. Many Christmas's ago my mother in law Jean, gave me her silver flatware set. It was actually her mother's so Brent's grandmother's original set. So not only was it an antique but passed on from his own family. It really touched me as she said she wanted to give it to someone that would appreciate it. Who would have know how much I came to appreciate that silver, many years later.

On another occasion, Jean gave me her mother's entire China set. All the dishes that her mother used and then gave to Jean. At first I didn't want to use the dishes as I didn't want to ruin them. They were so beautiful and delicate, same as the flatware. I used to take it out on special occasions such as Easter and Christmas. Then one day I came across an article that was about a daughter that had to clear out some of her mom's personal items when she had passed away. The article said that there were many beautiful things that she never knew her mom ever even owned and for sure never ever used. She came to the belief that her mom was also saving it for the "right" occasion and unfortunately that never came for her mom. The article made me think, why wait, what am I waiting for...these beautiful things that have been passed on to me to use! not to bring out twice a year from my pantry. So I took the dishes out to use as my regular everyday dishes. I use them for every meal and when I use them I often think about the meals that Brent's grandmother would have prepared for her family. I think about their hopes and dreams and what kind of life they had. I hope that by using these dishes at every meal, my family is also incorporating our energy and our lives in to these dishes. I doubt that the entirety of these dishes will be passed on to my daughter as they are starting to chip here and there. However, I do know they will be well used and loved in our time. And if for some fortunate reason, there happens to be one or two pieces left over, like a special tea cup or a gravy boat, I hope that Sofie will remember all of the wonderful meals we had as a family and know that her mom sees each meal with her family as a special day and thinks every day should be celebrated.