Recently my husband and I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary…yes, rare in this day and age I know. It hasn’t always been easy or fun and the time flew by in the blink of an eye to be sure! My husband planned a weekend full of surprises for me all of which culminated at the family cabin in the Colorado Rockies with some but not all of our family in attendance (it is so hard to get everyone together anymore). We shared the last bottle of champagne left over from the case we opened at our wedding (my step-dad has kept it chilled consistently all these years so it was delightful!); we were presented with a cake and a few gifts too. One of the gifts was wrapped in a large and rather lumpy box that didn’t close quite right and much to my surprise inside was the silver tea service that had once belonged to my husband’s father’s parents! The tea set was given to my in-laws on their 25th anniversary and they then passed it on to us on ours.
Honestly I think I had only actually seen the set two or three times at most in the last 25 years. I believe at one time my grandparent-in-laws had it on a little table in the Boulder, CO home, but once it had been passed down to my in-laws it was wrapped in plastic then felt tarnish-proof bags, then put in a paper bag and then placed in a box that was stored above the cabinets in the laundry room, never to be seen again. The reason for this is that my mother in-law doesn’t like to polish silver and believes that the fancy stuff should be stored away until a special occasion. I could not disagree more…
Think about this for a moment, the Bible states in Ecclesiastes 5:19 NIV~
“Moreover, when God gives someone wealth and possessions, and the ability to enjoy them, to accept their lot and be happy in their toil–this is a gift of God.”
That’s right…the ability to enjoy our possessions is a gift! Honestly I had never thought about enjoying possessions as a gift until in 2000 when I had been diagnosed with a rare and life threatening tumor. As it turned out the cure was almost as bad as the disease and when I emerged from the cloud of recovery and pain killers I began to understand the true meaning of that particular gift. Whatever it is…enjoy it!
As for the tea service, it is on display in tiny china cabinet in my tiny condo along with other beautiful things, not to be showy or pretentious, rather to enjoy these gifts that have been given to me. Actually I like to use the good china, silver, and crystal. I don’t hide those things…I use them and take good care of them. Did you know that the best way to store a quilt is to have it laid out on a bed? That’s right, don’t fold it up and stick it in a closet, use it…show it…love it!
The same can be said for the other gifts we have been given whether it is musical or artistic, in the kitchen or under a car, in the boardroom or cleaning the boardroom …we all have gifts given to us by our Creator and we need to use them not hide them! Don’t hide those gifts and pull them out only for special occasions or when you want to show off…use them every day!
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