It is that time of year for reflection and as I hold an old cracked bowl in my hand, I am grateful.
This bowl is nearly 90 years old and represents a part of my family history. For decades it has held the simple foods grown on the farm – colourful vegetables, bright berries, herbs. It housed hearty stews and steaming mashed potatoes, freshly whipped cream, spicy sauces and eggs.
Imagine the stories it could tell from being on the table for generations.
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Within it are the joys and tears of everyday living – of growing up and growing old. It was there when we were brought into life and when one left, when lives shattered and birth renewed. The chips and fine lines of its face make it beautiful in simplicity and function.
It represents the core of humanity: food, family and home. A silent witness to the lives of generations.
Next to it is a bowl from my home town café, Bings. The bright coloured Chinese art is not faded even after serving steaming hot food for 52 years. This bowl represents the immigrants who came to our country and built businesses with the skills that they had.
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Living and working conditions were poor at the start but these brave men and women, and those new settlers that they fed, collectively built a country, the one that we now call Canada.
Strangers became friends as these immigrants became a beautiful thread in our social fabric. For me, it is the memories of gathering together that this bowl creates, for Bings was saved in our family for special occasions.
In the same cupboard is an antique peach coloured Fire King bowl. I collect this line of dishware but this one reminds me of how precious our time on Earth is.
It was given to me by my son’s late father-in-law, who was a wonderful and kind man. When visiting Quebec, we would spend afternoons going to antique shops searching for treasures and this one find was sent home as a special gift.
Sometimes it breaks my heart when I mix pancake batter in it. At other times, I smile. But always, it is a gentle reminder of the kindness of others and of how important all of our relationships are. For within this bowl is my tie to another family in another province, and to another event that will never again be repeated. Precious is our time.
On the cabinet sits a beautiful hand-turned wooden bowl that was given to me by a friend.
This bowl is used to hold fruit and reminds me of that friendship. I never put it away because I want the blessings to flow out of it every day.
It has been my friends who have stood beside me through the storms of life and I am overwhelmed by this generosity. Like the fruits the bowl holds, every individual is different, many from another part of the world and all have a special purpose in my life. It is a bowl of gratitude for those who have cared.
Mom, too, always walked through the storms with me.
She never faltered and I gave her many a reason to put me in a basket and send me down the river, but she stayed steady. I had given her a crystal bowl that I bought in the Czech Republic, which she used to hold shiny decorations. Her theory was to not use the “good” things for everyday. Thus, we always outgrew our “good” clothes and can still find new sheets in her closet 60 years later. She came from a time of saving to survive, a characteristic that stayed with her all her life.
The crystal bowl represents what it is that she deserves, which is the best.
It is a reflection of how much our ancestors gave for us and the hidden sacrifices they made so we may enjoy the privileges that we have. Mom is short on space so the bowl now resides in my home. I cannot wait to fill it with trifle, but for today I will keep it for “good” use in honour of Mother and her part in building our family and our good fortune.
My blessings are abundant, for I have amazing children and grandchildren and surround myself with treasures they have created.
Behind the glass in the old cabinet sits a little pink handcrafted bowl from my young granddaughter. Made with pure love and presented with pride, this piece symbolizes all the promise of tomorrow. For there is always hope, tender mercies and small miracles. I am so grateful for her creative hands and for these young persons, for they will undoubtedly reshape our world.
Our lives are an intersection of people and of food.
As I reflect on the past and of the future, I think of you and simply wish that the bowl from which you eat alone or the one you pass along at the table be a symbol to you of the bounty of this day and the promise of tomorrow.
