The Good Silver

Christmas is over.

It was wonderful and stressful
and full of family. I am blessed with
kids and in-laws and grandkids who
all like being with each other. We ate
too much, sat by the fire and played
games with the little ones. We missed
our relatives who were with other loved
ones.
.
As I set the table for Christmas Eve, I
was reminded of my Mom. She was very big
on saving the "good stuff" for special occasions.
The china, the silver, the crystal were rarely used.
I never did figure out what constituted an occasion
big enough for the "good stuff".

I followed her advice until 6 years ago.
I was moving again.
I put the Pottery Barn stainless flatware in the kitchen drawer.
I got the big wooden box full of beautiful old sterling flatware
ready to store in the china cabinet.
I opened the box to admire the sterling.
The graceful curves, the weight
of the handles and all the fancy pieces.

I decided it was time to live every day as a special
occasion. The stainless went into a box and the
sterling into the kitchen drawer. It goes in the
dishwasher daily. It has a beautiful patina now
and I never have to polish it because it's being
USED.

It makes me smile at least once a week.