The Glass Swan

Clean

My Grandmother was obsessed about dishes. Anyone who knew her, knew her as the “Dish Lady.” She would drive hundreds of miles away from home just to buy what most people thought was a simple plate. As a child, my Mom would send me with her for the summer. I would often accompany her on these bizarre road trips.

A few days ago, I was looking through an old box and found a dusty glass swan. Immediately an old memory flashed in my head. I was about 7 years old. My Grandmother and I were on our way to pick up a load of antique dishes. Soonafter arriving, I wandered off to look around the enormous barn packed full of stuff.

I remember my Grandmother picking up this glass piece and I thinking how weird looking it was. When we got back to her house, we sat at the her cluttered kitchen table. She showed me how to clean each dish, how to read the information on each dish, how to reference and log how to each dish, and how to profit from each dish.

Funny how memories become so precious.

Teary eyed, I cleaned off the little glass piece. Behold, a beautiful swan. Now it sits happily beside my coffee pot full of sugar. I am sure my Grandmother is proudly smiling behind her coffee mug.