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And, for Pete's sake, use the good china

Credit: Cori Bren

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Are there things so precious to us that we don’t actually use them, keeping them like new instead?

Cameron M. Bailey

asked this question in his post - “Keeping Things for Good”, linked below. I highly recommend the post, about his habit of saving some of his favorite hats ‘for good’.

His question resonates in a deeply personal way with me. When, post-COVID, we made a mad dash back to the bosom of extended family, we planned to be in our new home for only 1 year at most until we found a farm. Having been gone for 32 years, when we returned it was to a nest approximately 40% smaller than our previous home. So, we separated our belongings into the expedient items (a bugout bag of sorts) and the nice-to-have items. The latter was squirreled away in the basement of our new home.

Three years later we’ve not yet found a farm and we’re still living from the bugout bags. Twelve seasons have come and gone. We’ve added to our expedient items in the form of new pans, some appliance replacements, and new plants like the gorgeous Christmas cactus my sister got me for Christmas this year. But, by and large our mantra has been ‘we’re not doing/spending/replacing “X” because we’re not staying here’. Like gypsy’s, we’re cast upon the trails without land in which to plant our roots anew. This is precisely why Cameron’s story struck a nerve in me.

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I’ve been a nomad my entire life - with 19 moves by age 18, then 9 more through my young adult years before building a home in which we loved and grew our family for 18 years. To us, coming home to our bigger family meant settling down. So, here we are with our prized possessions still in bins in the basement. Things such as my veg-o-matic, our good china, and the fun glassware. One thing I yearn for in particular is a beautiful red cake stand I’ve reached for so many times since we came home. My sister gifted it to me for my birthday before the pandemic, with an exquisite homemade 3-layer red velvet cake on it. It’s a humble porcelain object blessed with warm and loving energy from her to me.

This is an example of the red cake stand with red velvet cake on board

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When we think of what makes a home it’s the people, and the energy, and the familiar, which is sometimes things. Don’t save things for later that you could enjoy now. Those family items, especially heirlooms, hold loving memories that result in nostalgia of our own. Pretty dishes, sparkly glassware, and flatware brought back from my father in-law’s tours as a US Marine in Vietnam, make a radiant table. Using something special for everyday dinners makes every day a special occasion.

I recently announced to my family (I do this sometimes, LOL) that I am no longer living in temporary housing. I’ll be decorating, cleaning out, emptying bins and settling in. Of course, this conviction is bound to suddenly manifest the perfect farm (evil laugh), but I’m ready for whatever happens.

More than anything else, having my favorite things about me while making new memories is comforting, in ways I never could have imagined. This week, I’ll find that cake stand and serve a beautiful orange bundt cake on it for Sunday dinner.

Welcome home.

Share some love with friends and family. When life hands you lemons, make lemon glaze for a lemon bundt cake served on grandma’s cake plate.

Heated arguments, game nights, and spirited debates are just a few great reasons to gather together and use your special stuff. Start some spirited debate with the Bren’s Buzz community, right here in the comments.

Keeping Things For Good