Grammie and the Silver

Today is my Grammie's birthday.  She would have been 115 years old!

 My grandmother--or Grammie as she was called--was 43 when my dad was born.  My grandfather (Pop) was 49.  While these ages are not so uncommon for having children in this day and age, I suspect that 72 years ago, it was probably not the norm.  My grandparents already had two teenagers.  Then along came my dad.  My grandparents often said that having my dad so late in life kept them young. They both lived to their 90's.

  I was lucky enough to spend lots of time with my grandparents when growing up. We saw them most weekends, holidays and good parts of the summer. Those days shaped my life.

When I got married Grammie gave me her sterling silver. I was a young bride, but I knew even then how very, very, very special the gift was.  As I have gotten older it has become even more special to me.

 Rose Point by Wallace.

 Very ornate. Very heavy. Very, very, very special.

 

What makes it even more special is what came with it.

Receipts.

Lots of them.

My Grammie kept the receipts every time she purchased more Rose Point.

The receipts date to the early 1950's.

 

 A salad fork here, a serving spoon there, two pickle forks, three knives.....     Bit and pieced together.


A fork bought to commemorate a special day.  Two spoons bought to remember an anniversary.

A little money squirreled away, waiting until enough was saved to buy another piece of Rose Point.

Grammie was meticulous in keeping track of which pieces she had, which ones she still wanted to buy.  Her very precise handwriting scribed all the details. 

   

The stacks of receipts, the lists of what she had acquired, and the lines under what she dreamed of ending up with, are as precious to me as the stacks of forks, sleeves of knives and large serving pieces. I can imagine her sitting there making her list, marking off, putting the receipts in the bottom of the silver box.

 

Every time I get the Rose Point out, I see the receipts tucked under the silver. 

I carefully set the sterling out thinking of my Grammie

and all the special days she had when she bought

a new piece of her silver

and marked off another list.

I named my oldest daughter after my Grammie.

My Annabelle has heard the story a hundred times

about her great-grandmother and the silver.

Today to honor my Grammie

I got out the silver once again.

 

        Happy Birthday Grammie. 
                   Thank you.