Saving Memories
Saving Memories
The other day, my mom gave me one of the most beautiful sets of dishes I have ever seen. I have been eyeing them since I was a little girl looking at them just about every time I was in my grandparent’s house.
I don’t have any memories of Nonnie using them. They were displayed behind the glass of a beautiful (I believe) antique china hutch from Germany. I may have it wrong where the hutch came from. It doesn’t matter. The point is the beauty of the dishes.
They are a cream color with soft pink flowers on them. A wonderful example of elegance and simplicity coming together.
These are not the only “antiques” I unpacked yesterday. My sister has also moved into a new home this year. While I went bigger in the size of my home, she went smaller. She’s enjoying life in a tiny house and doesn’t have room for a few things anymore. So, she has graciously shared a few items with me.
As I unpacked the green sugar, cream, salt and pepper set, I remembered all the times I sat at Nonnie and Pampa’s table. The tiny juice glasses made me think of my grandmother washing dishes in the kitchen sink with her yellow rubber gloves on.
There were a few other items in the boxes. I felt myself experiencing another time warp like I did with the church on vacation. This one was welcoming, though.
I loved all of my grandparents very much. Sadly, none of them are alive now. My mom fussed at me a little bit because I didn’t ask for a lot of things from their homes to remember them. I tried to explain to her that I didn’t need many things to remember them. Just a few things like the dishes that take me back to being a small child hanging out with Nonnie for the day. All the great conversations at the table can be shaken to the front of my mind with the shake of the salt shaker. The cookie jar on my counter takes me back to the lake and games of rummy at Mammaw and Pappaw’s kitchen table.
It doesn’t take much for me to go back in time. I don’t need to be surrounded by items from the past. I think of my grandparents often. I know they all loved me because of all the special memories I hold in my heart. The items I now possess are special trinkets that connect me to the past. They make me smile, but my grandparent’s love warms my heart.
