In September of 1978 one of my grandmother’s friends was moving to a nursing home and she gave me her “special occasion” table cloth. She had received it as a wedding present in 1925. It was still in the original cellophane tucked into the original box. It had never been used.
Christmas of 1978 was the first time I used that table cloth. The cellophane fell into little pieces as I withdrew it. That first Christmas, the table cloth was covered in food stains and had to go to the dry cleaners. When I picked it up, it no longer fit in the box. I saved the box for a few years but it took up space. I eventually tossed it, although sometimes I wish I had at least kept a picture of it, keeping the table cloth in the linen closet along with my sheets and towels. The table cloth was used again for my birthday in the spring of 1979. Again it had to go the dry cleaners. That Thanksgiving I used it for a third time. This time I decided I wasn’t going to have it dry-cleaned. If it didn’t make it through the wash, it didn’t make it. I could not afford to spend $20 every time I used the table cloth. I washed it. It turned out beautifully.
This table cloth has seen birthdays, holidays, parties, and every day dinners made up to be special. It has been used as a garden for stuffed animals and as the walls of a princess fort that was under the card table. It has been a back drop for photo shoots and the covering for a summer bed. This table cloth came alive after laying dormant for over fifty years. It still looks as beautiful as the day I received it but it is softer to the touch from years of cherished living.
Each time I bring out the table cloth I think of my grandmother’s friend, long gone, and how much she missed by never using her special occasion table cloth. As I age, I hope I am doing it gracefully, as my table cloth has done. I want to stay beautiful but softer from years of cherished living.