My Grandmother's Silver

My grandmother's silverware

It's a good thing I talked to my sister the other day, because she had spent the day washing all her good china and crystal, getting ready for the holidays. It reminded me of a job I always forget about until I am actually setting the table for the holidays, and that is polishing the silver. This is a job my kids would never in a million years think about--who polishes silver anymore?  Who has silver anymore? Who has real china anymore?  I am so happy to have my Grandma Camplejohn's silver, engraved with the letter 'C'.  My mom gave it to me after my grandpa died. I don't use it a lot, but I bring it out for the holidays and special occasions. It is missing a few knives, and it tarnishes easily,  but I like getting it out,  polishing it and looking at the tiny shrimp cocktail forks, and I like thinking about my grandma doing the same thing fifty, sixty, seventy years ago. When my cousin Bob and his family come for Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday,  I will remind him that we are using the same silverware that we used when we had dinner on Sundays at our grandparents house so many years ago, and we will laugh and tell stories that we remember, like the noisy radiator screen behind our chairs, and the chocolate drops in the crystal bowl by the front door.

My grandmother Jane Kendall  Camplejohn and my mother, Betty Ann