October 16, 2022
Grandmother was never Grandma or Granny...always Grandmother. Dignified, elegant, strong, bold, generous, loving, adventurous...and she had great appreciation for beautiful things, places, people, dance and art. She took the time to teach me table manners and how to properly set a table. She also taught me that as a female, I had just as much strength, dignity, value and capability to follow my dreams, as every man does. She taught me to stand tall for what is right and just, and be composed & kind as I do so, in both my actions and thoughts. I was the oldest granddaughter, so I'm not sure if I was the only recipient of these lessons, but my guess is that she passed on her passions related to gender equality and proper etiquette to all 9 of her grandchildren. My takeaway at a young age was that I was to be a God-fearing young woman who could hold her own in a battle of wits, while proudly accentuating her feminine curves in her choice of fashion. To this day, I have not met my grandmother's match. When I get dressed on occasion, I still remember her warning to me over 40 years ago...that I looked too much like a librarian. Not free, as I should be. I think she was referring to more than just my clothes.
Grandmother was also an artist and a collector. I inherited a large beautiful painting of a very ordinary woman, in the nude, that she used to keep in the center of her living room. I also was the recipient of some of grandmother's silver. I imagine some of these pieces were passed down to her from her mother, and that other pieces were collected over the years when she was traveling the world with my grandfather. She was always curious about other cultures and places, and I believe I inherited that same sense of adventure from her. The three pieces above, on the left, are my favorites...and some day these will go to my children. It's funny but different pieces pictured in these photos speak to the different personalities of my children...so I already know who will cherish which specific pieces.
For now, I will continue to set out these pieces when I entertain, and spend time polishing and caring for them, with a full heart and smile...because they're not just silver pieces, they're part of my history.
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