a Box

it was presumptuous and a bit over the top, but like all good southern girls, i registered for silver when i became engaged. let me explain. on the evening we announced our engagement, my Mister's father held a celebratory dinner. it was christmas eve-eve. the best china, crystal and of course silver were put out for our enjoyment. all of the place settings from the red goblets that we toasted our champagne to the monogram silver forks were courtesy of a woman who i never met, never knew. rosemond claire, my mother-in-law.

my Mister lost his mother when he was 3. and here on that sweet evening in december it was as if she had set the table for our party because she had picked out all of the pieces that adorned the dining room table. i noticed the silver. a pattern i had long enjoyed and dreamed about. a french name. repousse. and that evening i decided to register for the same silver pattern in hopes that maybe someday the pattern his mother had collected many years prior would finds its way into our home.

almost 17 years later it did. after a death. after hiring a lawyer {step mothers don't always act like mothers}. my darling sisters-in-law knew how i pined for that sweet sterling pattern and were happy for me to get it once the dust had settled. and so the other night as i unpacked the silver to add to my own i was reminded of why i fell in love with my darling Mister. 

for valentine's day circa 1994, he found in an antique shop a wooden box all tattered and dirty. he carefully and secretly refinished this otherwise overlooked treasure. he fashioned the lining with a carefully chosen cloth specially designed for keeping silver from tarnishing. and in epic-Mister fashion he secretly asked my sweet friend alice to teach him how to sew. in the same tarnish cloth he had lined my wooden box, he meticiously sewed pockets for each piece of silver he hoped to collect with me.

12 pockets were sewed for forks, for knives, spoons and each were carefully finished with fray check to keep from splintering off with wear. he even sewed larger pockets for serving pieces. and in his ever darling manner, he chose a red ribbon to adorn the chocolate brown cloth. just for looks. if ever i doubt this man's love for me, all i must do is look at this box. his own idea. his time. all for me and my silly silver. 

happy 17th, sweetie. remember that hot day in august when we agreed to have one another's back through thick and thin? we were way, way young and naive. but i am still glad we did it. and here's to our box full of silver that will never tarnish. 

xo,
your gf