Just Use It!

I'm a big believer in cherishing our inherent gifts and enjoying the material gifts that we are given. Crystal, silver, linen and china earn a new layer of beauty and context as they are used in our daily lives. One of the most unfortunate things I've observed is an elderly person's "hope chest unused". What's more special than occasions with your family and friends? When we'd entertain other families when our children were young, we'd set the table with china and silver for everyone. We were constantly questioned by other parents about our choice of china for all the children. We happily replied that "it's only stuff and we want our children to enjoy it too." Never at a dinner party did our children or our child guests ever break a plate. As is so often the occasion, everyone rose to the expectation that we'd all enjoy the special evening together. We treated our young visitors as special guests and they reciprocated by acting like "big kids".