There is nothing more heart warming than going to visit family. The things that you notice as you get older, the conversations that you become included in, really make you recognize what it means to grow up.
We just got back from visiting my Aunt Patty; her house has not changed one bit. The yellow cozy on the coffee pot, the chinoiserie wallpaper, rows of jars full of candy that, as a five year old, was the best part of the visit. While we were sitting around the table chatting I realized how much charm the house truly had. Ascending ceramic jars on the kitchen counter, a menagerie of crystal figurines on the curio cabinet, the llardo porcelain girl playing harp (mine and my sisters favorite) albeit simple, it is those details that I find such great comfort in. They are the simple details that I infuse into my own house and my work. The tiny details that are so easy to overlook but so tremendously meaningful.
I told my mom about my observation and she said that when she was little the only way she was able to sit at the table was if she kept quiet. As soon as she did chime in she was told to go out side and play; a place at the the kitchen table of wisdom was something you had to earn. The kitchen was full of women on rocking chairs, women with babies on their hips chopping, cooking and chatting. Now, passing by those jars I realized how strategically placed they were. Displayed at the perfect eye-line for a five year old- the candy and piles of games next to it kept us occupied for hours while the adults told stories and caught up. The candy and games are a good three feet to short for the 26 year old I am now. I am honored to have earned a place to stand among the great women of my family.
