Silver Tray

I've been purging two households of clutter and collections for, oh, about two years now. I wish I had kept track of all the bags and boxes that have been donated to Big Brothers, and the collection bins. It has to be between 40-50.

So I'm quite relieved that a few things missed the mass cull. One of them being this silver tray of my grandma's. Modern style is more of my thing, so the silver tray was actually in the giveaway pile. Then I read about how to rework old silver tea services for modern day living in a House and Home magazine. (Article here.)

I found some time yesterday afternoon to sit down and give it a good going-over with the silver polish. As I worked, I was thinking of the inscription; Mary ~ 1957-1979. My grandma had received the tray when she retired after 21 years of service at Murray's Store in Sicamous. In the 50s, my grandma found herself as the single mother of three teenagers, and she had to go to work to support the family. I had never really given much thought to how hard that must have been for her. Grandma was a strong independent woman, and needed to be as she needed to provide for her family. Yet despite the trials life sent her way, she maintained a gentle spirit. I'm really thankful this tray survived one of my purging fits, and for all that it represents.



Halfway through the cleaning process... what a difference a little polish makes.





The inscription in the middle of the tray... partly worn, so it's hard to get a clear shot: Mary ~ 1957-1979




The silver tray with a modern twist.