Life Lessons from Mary Gordon

There's a nice article called past, perfect on preserving traditions in the October issue of Real Simple. It discusses hanging on to relics of happy times. The article is only a page at best, but it's sure to get you thinking about your own history. I immediately thought of the thing, for me, that has stayed the same over decades. My paternal grandparents live in Cary, Mississippi. The fact that not much changes there isn't really a plus in the tally sheet of our modern plus/minus columns, but it's a huge positive when it comes down to comfort. The article discusses how great the feeling of something familiar can be.

Green bowls and old spoons. Every time I'm at my grandmother's house there is a pot of chickenndumplins. Really it's chicken and dumplings, but it's never pronounced that way, it's Mississippi after all. They're always dished up with an old serving spoon with a floral mark on the handle and I always eat them in one of my grandmother's plain old green bowls. At a garage sale, the whole set might fetch 50 cents, but they're irreplaceable. There's just a bit of perfection there in those bowls - with my childhood and a pinch of salt.