Faye Field tells how her mother came to spend Thanksgiving with her one year, and as they set the table, her mother said, “I wish you had sterling-silver tableware like your sister.”
Faye thought for a moment and said, “Mother, I am not knocking you or my sister, but I chose instead to have sterling friends.”
I do not knock those who love fine china and sterling silver, but my attitude, like Faye’s, is much more utilitarian. My tableware comes from many places.
One morning as I walked along the Tennessee Riverwalk, I saw a beautiful, almost-like-new fork, but the metal look was distinctive enough that I always recognize it. I added it to my collection, and every time I use it, I remember that peaceful walk and the joy I had watching the blue herons along the riverbank. That’s a sterling-silver memory.
I have more sterling-silver memories centered on Thanksgiving than any other holiday of the year. Before Mother died, it was the one day of the year our family all got together. Mother cooked the turkey, and all the other ladies in our family fixed their specialties. What a feast! And the camaraderie always made it memorable.