An Unexpected Surprise!

Life is so full of unexpected surprises and this was just floored me. The other day I happened to be in a second hand/antique shop looking at some beautiful old china. I got to thinking about Mom's china, that had dissapeared 40 years ago during the turmoil in our lives at the time. We thought that my second stepdad has tossed it so we gave it up as lost. Well I've always wondered if I would ever stumble across it on my jaunts through the local stores here in Oregon, but I realized I wouldn't even recognize it if I saw it.
My stepsister called me a few days later and said she had a surprise for me. She was out visiting my stepbrother where he and his wife happened to be cleaning out the garage. He mentioned to my sis he had "Nancy's" china, and asked her if she wanted it or should he get rid of it. She then asked him if he didn't think I might want it and he had an OH, DUH moment. Sid is such a nice fella but men just don't think that way sometimes. The upshot of all of this is that I now have my mother's china, that has been gone for so very long. I am still in shock as I really never expected this, but I am also planning a meal where we can use it. I do plan on using it for special occasions as that is what I believe we should do. Mom would want it that way I'm sure, as life is too short to keep things shut away and not used. My children don't have any memories of the china as they never met Mom, so it's time to make memories with it! Oh, and the photo above is of one of the pieces from the set.