Dear Emily,
Sundays are special days for me. Obviously, I love Sunday because it's the day we worship with our church family; however, there's another reason that Sundays are so special. Every Sunday, our family gathers here after church for Sunday dinner. We catch up with what everyone has done through the week, discuss upcoming plans, tell old stories, and laugh a lot. It's such a special time to sit around the dining room table in the sunroom and to just be together. Naturally, as the family has grown, the space around the table has become more crowded. Quite often, someone will say "Mom, you need to get a larger dining table." And I always say "No."
The table is special - even though it is smaller than a standard size dining room table, it has a history and it's the history that secures its place in the house. Daddy bought the table at Mrs. McBride's sale in the mid '60's. He was the auctioneer for her estate sale following her death. We needed a kitchen table to replace the old red and white Formica one Mama and Daddy got when they married, so when this table came up on the sale block, Daddy sold it to himself!
Mrs. McBride was the town florist for many years. She operated the flower shop from the screened-in back porch of her house, located on the south end of Chapel Hill. The house is still there although it has undergone several changes in the past few years. Mrs. McBride, a widow, was a short, plump lady with steel gray hair. Her braids were pinned in a circle around her head. The table sat on the back porch where Mrs. McBride must have spent hours cutting and arranging flowers for weddings, funerals, recitals, proms, and other miscellaneous events. Since she used the table as a cutting board, the resulting knife marks can easily been seen across the three wide boards which are secured to a frame and attached to four beautifully turned legs. Mrs. McBride and her flowers were a staple in Chapel Hill for many years. Her beautiful arrangements were all created with flowers cut and trimmed right on this table - the table that now sits in my dining room.
I could get a new table - a new table would be larger and shiner without any scars; however the scars that criss-cross the top of that table are a tribute to a special woman - a woman who embraced a skill that enabled her to earn a living and to provide the Chapel Hill community with beauty that enhanced our lives for many years.
"No, I won't be getting a new table. Now squeeze together!"
Love,
BB
