In August, I drove to Ohio to visit my family for a weekend and to collect the dishes my grandmother had designated for me 12 years before, when she died.  After more than a decade, I had a stable enough (read: not-a-dorm-room!) home in which to keep and use these family heirlooms.  Though we have sturdy and colorful Fiestaware, I looked forward to using this set on weekends, on days I felt extra low, special occasions, and any time I longed to feel close to my grandmother and my family again.  Especially in a time when many kids move away from ancestral homes and lands, objects like these taken on extra meaning and reverence.

I remember Thanksgiving with these dishes (I’m talking specifically about the dinner plates/serving bowl in the photo above); just seeing them immediately makes me think of my grandmother, her home, how I felt when I was…