Sometimes I think I have the best job in the world, getting to work with beautiful
china pieces day in and day out...sometimes it actually feels more like a privilege
than an actual profession. After all, each of these plates and cups and saucers
and other dinnerware pieces all have history behind them. They come from
many different countries, from all around the world, and their beautiful
patterns and colors give them a unique appeal that brings them to life
unlike other ordinary household objects.
We remember dishes.
They're a part of our family in some ways, a part of each of our own personal histories.
Have you not once in your life been somewhere, maybe an antique market or
thrift shop, and come across an orphaned plate or cup that you instantly
recognized from somewhere in your own past?
At that moment of recognition, it isn't just "a plate" or "a cup," but mom's plate,
or grandmother's cup. There is a connection. Often when that connection is
made we find ourselves flooded with memories of family from long ago,
or of our childhood, or of holidays and times past. If you're the
sentimental type like I am, it can be a comforting experience.
I've been working with dishes for so long now that I know the patterns by name.
No, I don't talk to them, but in a way, they speak to me. I see them as
valuable, not monetarily valuable, but valuable in a way that fills your
soul with warmth and peace just as memories of loved ones do.
This was, after all, someone's grandmother's plate.
Someone just like you.
