From Fine China to Priceless Art

I know that this is strange, but when I was a little girl, I couldn't wait to register for fine china.  Even still, I love fine china.  I think it's beautiful.  It's opulent and sophisticated and something that defines the types of food served and parties hosted.  Growing up, I couldn't wait to pick a pattern that reflected my future husband and myself and the home we would create together.  I pictured elegance.  Something understated yet breathtaking.  Needless to say, the younger me had grand notions of dinner parties, and none included children.  Clearly, that's not the most realistic view of my actual life.  

I blame my early obsession with dishes on Mura and Leonard, my parents best friends, who were the definition of sophistication.  They had a son, Alexander, who was 6 weeks older than Wes, my older brother, and our families were as close as could be.  We spent holidays, birthdays and just normal days together.

These amazing people would regularly host multi-course dinner parties when their family was in from Italy, or their friends were visiting from Africa.  They would entertain effortlessly.  They were somehow both formal and casual at the same time.  Their formality was never uncomfortable or pretentious, it was just them.  Needless to say, my family has been very blessed with amazing friends throughout the years, and Mura, Leonard and Alexander were by far some of the best imaginable.  They were so much more to us than friends, they were unquestionably family, and remained so, even after they divorced.

When my dad was diagnosed with lung cancer, Mura and Leonard, were an enormous part of my families support system.  Mura, who had moved to her hometown of Bellingham, WA not long before my dad received his diagnosis, came down to support my mom and our family, and didn't leave until after my dad's funeral.  Leonard would make the 2 hour drive (we had moved to the High Desert by this time) to be with my dad and our family every weekend.  They set an amazing example of selflessness and true friendship.  When my dad passed, despite having lost his dear friend, Leonard remained committed to our family, even going so far as to gifting me a trip to Italy as a graduation present after I managed to meet his challenge and make the Dean's List my last semester of college (which was also the semester my dad died).

In Spring of 2004, my brother Wes and I were both planning our weddings.  He would be married in June of that year and I would be married in March of 2005.  Alexander had met and married Lethicia and they had welcomed Gabriella into the world the prior January.  We all had something to celebrate, and like always we were celebrating together.

Our brief moment of carefree happiness was short-lived.  We received the news that was sadly familiar and tragic.  Mura was diagnosed with lung cancer.  We were devastated all over again.  We all flew up to Washington to be with her, to tell her we loved her, to rally around her.  We were all following each other's example of friendship and love during the most difficult times of our lives.

It was during this visit, while I was laying in bed next to Mura having a conversation that seemed both desperate and loving because there was so much we wanted to say, that Mura told me she wanted me to have her china.

A week or so later, Mura passed away.  Alexander and Leonard (who remained Mura's one true love, and she remained his, despite the divorce) made sure I received every last piece of her complete Wedgewood set.  It is amazing.  Some pieces are chipped, or cracked which makes them even more special to me. These dishes were used regularly and loved.  They remind me of being young, and of being home...in my second home, with my friends who were like family to me.

Leonard, Alexander, Lethicia (her mother Dolce, who was out from Brazil to be with Mura and the family) and baby Gabriella made the trek out to WI to celebrate Wes's wedding with us.  Alexander was a groomsman and rallied for his friend.  They flew to be with us from Washington, having stayed there to packed up Mura's items and deal with her estate.  It was a strange time in our lives full of conflicting emotions.

Leonard walked me down the aisle and danced with me at my wedding.  I was so proud to have him next to me and knew that despite all the other wonderful men in my life from uncles to other family friends, Leonard and my brothers were the only ones who could give me away.

Sadly in late 2007, he was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma.  Despite a very valiant fight, he died in November of 2008.

This set of china is priceless to me.  It is a reminder of these dear people who meant so much to me and of a time in my life when everything was as it should be.  My family was complete and happy.  I cherish it, so it is stored meticulously in a buffet in our dining room.  I have used it three times since inheriting it (it turns out that when hosting a dinner, after I've finished preparing, serving and eating a meal for 15, the last thing I want to do is hand wash the fine china.  I actually just want to throw those beautiful dishes in the dishwasher and drink a glass of wine with my feet up.  I guess I'm more of a Crate and Barrel dish set kind of gal).  Nonetheless, I look at it and think of Mura and Leonard and of all that they meant to me.  I love it and feel guilty that these dishes that were intended to be used and loved are just sitting, carefully stored inside a piece of furniture.

Since moving to the new house, I've been very reluctant to hang pictures or art on the walls.  I want to be thoughtful in what goes into making this house my home.  The fact is, though, we've been here for a year and a half now, and I am tired of looking at empty walls where I know there should be something.  After some months of eyeing my buffet, knowing the treasures it holds, I have killed two birds with one stone.  I have framed some of the pieces of china that I hold so dear, and have hung them on the wall in the dining room, so that I can look at them every day and be reminded of the most loving  people I've known.  I absolutely love my new "art work" so much that I just had to tell it's story.  Finally, these dishes are getting the love they deserve and are functional (in a different way) again.