When I left Chicago for good back in 1995, my Mother gave me a few things she had been keeping in our home for many years. Some of these treasures were in our home even longer than I had been in our home and it was her intention, I believe, to pass them down to the next generation: me.
There was a beautiful silver serving set - I have seen similar sets over the years in antique stores selling for quite a few dollars. One just recently in Jefferson, Texas. Mom also gave me numerous sets of silverware and dishes and glasses, etc. Well, they were partial sets anyway.
Among the things Mom gave me was a tea set. I knew absolutely nothing about tea sets and to be honest I had no real need for a tea set. But if Mom kept it all these years I figured I should pack it and bring it along and maybe someday I would have some use for it.
One day, not long ago, some thirteen years after I had packed-away and stored (and moved three times) Mom's beautiful tea set, I was visiting a friend's home in Arlington, Texas. And right there in her display case was a tea set her Mother had given to her years ago, that was very similar to the one my Mom had given me. So similar that we decided to combine them in her case.
We don't know the story behind either set. Nor do we know exactly how old the sets are. "Very old." The details really don't matter. What matters is that they belonged to our Mothers and that in spite of the fact that these are two very separate and distinct sets with very few like pieces, they seem to belong together.
Together they tell a story and are part of both of our family's histories. Someday I may find out what those stories are, until then I hope the photos will act as the storyteller.
