And it Worked!

Thanksgiving Week, a "little" cousin, a wedding, a road trip, and some magical lanterns.
Out of nine grandchildren, there are only two boys.  The oldest, Paul, got married on Friday.  A rare wedding opportunity in our family.  It's been a few years since we had one.  Our family is scattered a bit across the United States. But, somehow, the stars aligned and we managed to get a few of us together for the celebration. These magical lanterns.  My cousin found them.  I've seen them in movies, cartoons, but never quite understood how they worked.  And then to light them, and watch them float up like something magical was just the most wonderful thing in the world.  Take one off the bucket list!

Just a Piece of "China"

One plate of China from our wedding, a gift from
my great aunt

It was an extraordinary weekend.  My cousins were getting together, so myself and the daughter took a ride up to visit them.  Since both of my cousins were together at one time, I thought it would be perfect to bring some things that belonged to my grandparents -pictures and crystal-that needed to be shared.  Besides my dad, there are only us left.  Here we are with all of these possessions, and what to do with them as our families move forward in life.
     The one tote was full of crystal, I added the photos to it.  We went through it, they took home a significant amount.  But when I unpacked the tote initially, I came across this plate.  When the guy and I got married, I recalled not wanting to go to a special store and pick out "China" because 1) I was embarrassed, I simply didn't know what to do, and 2) I didn't think anyone in my family could afford it (or would buy it).  For the record, I didn't know how much China cost at all. Nor was everyone in my family destitute.
At my wedding shower, my grandpaw's oldest sister bought us this gift, a set of dishes that was "China".  I remember opening it and saying, "Ahhhhh, China!" I was very excited, I thought it was very pretty.  But today, I am nagged with the thought of how many of my family must have laughed at me.  It wasn't real China.  Essentially, probably, just a nicer set of dishes from Wal-Mart.  I was okay with the that because I thought they were beautiful and my aunt had bought it for me.
   Which leads me to a whole different thought.  For some reason, my family seems to break things.  My children break things, I break things. Meaningful things.  Things that need to be saved, cherished.  I am probably most happy by that set of dishes because I actually still have a few of the plates and saucers.