My grandmother recently moved into an apartment at an assisted living facility from her home in Westfield. When going through her stuff, the family joke has become that everything is an heirloom. “Do you want this table of your Nana’s? It’s a family heirloom.”
My mom believes if she mentions the word heirloom that it will make said item more enticing and then that item will be removed from the home, making it one less thing to have to deal with when her home hits the market in the coming months. The reality is, some of the stuff is in fact special and truly an heirloom, while other things are exactly that … just things.
Most of her prized possessions moved with my grandmother to her new home. She has a fully furnished apartment with everything anyone could ever need, and my mom was able to make the place feel just like her normal living room. She had far more stuff than could ever fit in her new place.
After spending a day there helping my mom and stepdad go through various items a couple months ago, I noticed my Nana’s china cabinet with all her crystal in her front dining room. The room has had very little, if any, entertained guests for many years.
Towering in the corner of her dining room, sat the beautiful piece of furniture, filled to the brim of various pieces of Waterford crystal. Nobody had said anything about the cabinet, but my mom was encouraging anyone to take anything out of the cabinet and home. Nobody really wanted anything from it. I found myself marveling at each piece as we would wrap it and notice how exquisite the crystal looked in the natural light of the room.
My husband and I spent a lot of time wrapping many various glasses to take home. Upon unwrapping and placing everything on the kitchen counter, we both remarked at how truly beautiful her cabinet looked filled with all of the various crystal pieces.
I mentioned to my husband the next day about getting the china cabinet and what he thought it would look like in our home. We both knew that we wanted it and agreed on the place for it in our home. We hired a mover to bring it to our house and proudly displayed in it is all my Nana’s crystal, along with some of my own special pieces.
Our columnist noted that her Nana’s china cabinet, which she now proudly owns, is a beast. It certainly is. She also wrote that some people may call it “outdated.” As our editor remarked, at this point, “outdated” really is just a synonym for “better.” (Photo provided by Megan Rathz)
I know many people have moved away from the big china cabinets, often referring to them as being outdated. I don’t really care. It is filled with pieces that once entertained people and has seen many parties and gatherings with friends over the years. It now has a special place in my home and is a focal point of my dining room. The pieces in it will continue to be used and will hold a special place in my heart long after my grandmother is gone, and will hopefully be passed down to my own kids one day.
Megan Rathz is a wife, mother, and teacher. She says everything she has ever learned in life came from her Master Gardener mother.