This beautiful hand-painted china was my great-grandma Laura Gudeman's. Grandma Gutwein remembers how excited Great-Grandma was when she bought them. It's no wonder! They are elegant, dainty, useful, and many of the pieces are types that aren't made anymore. Not to mention part of the set was made in occupied Japan!
Here is a sampling:
A covered serving bowl, regular serving bowl, two sizes of serving platters, gravy boat, soup bowl*, jello/salad bowl, dinner plate, salad plate, dessert plate, teacups and saucers, creamer, and sugar bowl.
All ready for Thanksgiving!
Beautiful design
*About that soup bowl. There's only one. Why? Grandma Gutwein said that since they didn't normally serve soup to their guests, Great-Grandma let them use them for everyday...or at least whenever they had soup. Guess they broke dishes back then too ;)In today's desire for sleek modernism, I've enjoyed pulling these traditional treasures out and ogling their ornate beauty. But this all forced me to ponder something else. The word heritage. Tradition. Even legacy. It's all fine and dandy that my great-grandma passed down her lovely china, but how much more precious her legacy of faith? I have another great-grandma (Dorothy Bachtold) who passed away over a month ago. I read in her obituary that she had 23 grandchildren, and 44 great-grandchildren. What have these women left behind?
Faith. Witness. Love. An example. (just to name a few)
Faith in Jesus and a life lived by His standards. Through that, they are witness to His faithfulness to those who love Him and are the called according to His purpose. Their love has had a ripple affect on those around them and those still left here on earth after they are gone. Their example is that no matter how many mountains we have to climb, the prize is worth all the struggle and God will carry us through. They didn't necessarily lead easy lives. But who said that it was going to be easy? And why do we expect it to be? "That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:" (1 Peter 1:7) Today's woman seems to be defined more by her outward appearance than of her inward character. "Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies." (Proverbs 31:10) Those trials, that price, the effort put towards developing godly character; they not only glorify God, but they leave a heritage in the process.
Just like my great-grandmas.
So even though beautiful china is a mere possession of this earth, I think I'll find it serves as a reminder every time I take it out of the closet. What heritage am I developing that I will one day leave behind?
Tess, I always loved those dishes to. But I didn't need another set. So glad you are enjoying them. Have a Happy Thanksgiving.
ReplyDeleteOh, it means so much that you are enjoying them. You'd have loved Grandma and she'd have loved you! Will be neat to meet in heaven. Loved your analagy.
ReplyDeleteTess, Found your blog! :) Hope you don't mind!
ReplyDeleteYou have a really lovely set of China! I really love old china patterns a lot, and I'm a big fan of yours!