A special occasion was underway. Only a special occasion would motivate me to get out the silver. That was evident by the condition of the silver.
Tarnished.
Not a shimmer of shiny. Not a glimpse of reflection.
The pieces passed down to me from my family, and the others, which were given to me for my wedding, did not reflect the special and valued they were intended to bear. Not in my house. I received the gifts knowing what a treasure they were and understanding the significance of the gift. However, they aren’t pieces I use on a daily basis; therefore, I continued moving them over the years until they ended up on the top of my laundry room cabinets.
I gave no attention to these precious pieces of silver. I gave no effort in finding a way to utilize them here and there. Instead, they just sat. Untouched. Unused. Unpolished.
Tarnished.
Only a need in decorating for a twenty-fifth anniversary party prompted me to climb up to grab them off the top of those laundry room cabinets and begin the tedious and tiresome work of bringing back the beauty of the silver which set untouched, unused, unpolished. Tarnished.
It took some time. Much time actually. But as I stood at the sink, rubbing the cleaner on the surfaces of the pieces, washing away the corrosion and polishing back the glamor, I realized the necessity of this process, not only with platters and pitchers, but with thoughts, opinions and perceptions.
Mine own to be exact.
