Of Family Heirlooms, the Pretty Things

 A lot of lovely things sit in boxes for decades, never being used or shared. How often do they get discovered by adult children sorting through what their parents have left behind? We as humans do a lot of collecting and never using things, leaving them to sit in storage with a "maybe someday", or "they're for company", attached to them, that never happens. That someday never comes, and that special occasion meal ends up being served on paper plates and plastic cups, for convenience sake. That antique occasional table sits in the garage waiting for the right place to be placed, and the family photos pile up in cardboard boxes, while modern wall hangings with clever sayings are hung, where that great photo of grandpa Frank and Grandma Mildred should be.

My husband thinks he remembers these beautiful plates hanging on his grandmother's wall. He says she loved pretty and elegant things, even though she never had a big home, or a well off lifestyle, she managed to collect a few that got passed on after she was gone. She was an extraordinary cook I hear, and could stand up to anyone on the major cooking shows. She always wore a dress, and loved to wear brooches. She had a quick sense of humor, and introduced classic movies to my husband and his sister. Whenever my husband sees some of her things he loves to share what he remembers about her, as they spark a walk down memory lane. These plates are hand painted if I'm not mistaken, but regardless, they are designed to be hung on a wall to beautiful a room or area.They are a constant reminder of that loved one who is no longer here, and the good times to be remembered.  It's a shame they didn't get put out, to be a part of new memories being made.

Pretty things accompany memories, of dinners around the table at Christmas, or that quiet conversation over some warm drink during the cold winter months, where  you learned about your grandma's first sweetheart. Maybe grandpa shared his memories of the war, as you sat in front of the fire, and you cried inside to think that he had to go through such horrible things. Always present, never interfering, but silently there, something to gaze upon as life, and sharing, and caring go on. 

Hopefully this home will be a place of peace, and a sanctuary of love and family heirlooms. A place where memories are hopefully cherished, and maybe someday, these pretty things will hang in another of our children or grandchildren's homes, a reminder of stories of yesterday.  A reminder of the special events, or times of struggle, but in all are attached to memories to be shared. 

Put out those pretty things, and use them if possible, and hang those family photos. Use them to tell your children and grandchildren the stories they don't know. Have them out when you create your own memories, so some day they will be a reminder of the great times you've shared together. I know we will.