My grandma’s china is blue and white and makes me think of cuddling up in one of her hand crocheted blankets with a bowl of her amazing scrambled eggs and a really, really good book to read. Oh how I love this china.
Isn’t it funny how the simplest of things can make us think of home? Not where-we-live home, but where-we-belong home? I’m not sure where my home is any more. Whenever I see blue and white together, I think of my grandma and grandpa’s home. Whenever I eat cafeteria food or smell pine needles, I think of my camp home. And when I wake up before everyone else and have a few moments to quietly enjoy a cup of coffee, I think of where I live now. 
I could feel all broken up and unsure of my identity and have a messed up sense of belonging. That’s how I imagine some people like this feel. But I don’t feel that way at all. Instead I feel so lucky to have so many places I do belong.
It’s all pretty lovely. : )
February 3, 2011
We long for belonging
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I must admit that I don't get into the whole "grandmother china" thing --
ReplyDeleteor passing on china from one generation to the other. I think it's just
"stuff" -- we clutter our lives with so much "stuff" that we get lost in it.
Life, to me, isn't about stuff. Its' about people. It's about relationships.
It's about telling your friends how much they mean to you. It's about
telling the people who have helped you in life that they indeed have
been a help. I think somtimes we forget to say those things out loud,
and just assume they know. A shame.
I'd much rather have less stuff and have more time with friends and
family. Just think...the more stuff you have, the more time it takes
to maintain it. ACK...I could do without that.
I think it's funny that the American dream, so to speak, is to own your
own house. But with that comes a huge responsibility -- you have to
maintain your house -- if something stops working, you have to fix it...
so on and so on.
But if you lived in apartment, you call the "Souper" and he comes to fix your
leaky toilet or your stopped up sink....you don't have a lawn to tend to...
often you have less space, so less to clean....
Americans are so absorbed in themselves and their stuff. They have to
have the latest cell phone. The latest computer. The last ipod. None of that
means crap. WHO CARES! I sure don't. It doesn't impress me if you own
the latest gadget. I don't care.
WHat I do care about is how you treat people. Do you forgive quickly?
Do you treat your friends with respect? Are you loyal? Do you show
love to your family? These are the things that really matter in life.
But the crazy thing is that unless you're around that person to see if
they do these things, there's no way of knowing if they do. It's not like
you can wear something on your person that says "LOOK AT ME...I
TREAT MY FAMILY AND FRIENDS WITH RESPECT."
I'm glad you like your grammies china. It is pretty. But frankly, I'm glad my
grammy doesn't intend to pass her china on to me.