On July 20th Al and I celebrated our 30th wedding anniversary. We went to our favourite restaurant - The Keg - for dinner with our daughter, Kaila, our son Mark, and his girlfriend, Rachelle.
On July 25th we had an open-house party at our home and approximately 50 people attended. It was lovely to see so many of our old friends who travelled quite long distances to see us. A few of them actually attended the wedding!! LOL!
What is also amazing is that I still have, and use, some of my shower and wedding gifts to this day. We got a white cotton blanket from a gentleman Al worked with in Collingwood and we still use it today. It doesn't look as fresh and crisp as it did 30 years ago, but neither do we.
I have a set of plastic mixing bowls that my cousin gave me for a shower gift. I still use all three of them whenever I bake an apple pie. :)
My food processer is still going strong and can shred potatoes for latkes like no other! I got that from a friend who was married 2 weeks before me, and I caught the bouquet at her wedding!
My knife set is as sharp as ever and I always reach for that butcher knife first when I need to cut something up. My parents' neighbours gave us that. Their daughter was my maid of honor.
I am sure there are more gifts that we still use that have slipped my mind at the moment, and my intent was not to list them all, but to remind each other that a gift is a precious thing. Sometimes, we may find it easier to just put a gift card into an envelope and let the recipient chose something themselves. You know you won't make a mistake then. But there is something to be said about a gift that reminds you of the person each time you use it.
My mixing bowls are a great example. Just a "good" set of orange plastic bowls with lids. But when I pull them out to use them for making a pie or for chips or popcorn, I ALWAYS think..."Wow, I am still using these bowls that Cathy gave me." Then I remember how she lived with me in my apartment in Etobicoke for a short while when she first moved to the city. Her brother, Scott, also lived with me. I had a pull-out ottoman that he slept on. (Good thing he was skinny) and Cathy shared my double bed with me. :) When I moved in with Al to our first marital home, they sub-let the apartment. It was in the same building that I lived in as a boarder with Carol and Brian. Carol's mom Marj, and my mom were besties. Then I think of all the fun times with Carol and Brian...and so it goes. A simple bowl set brings this much joy to my life.
Next time you are invited somewhere and need to take a gift. Think it through for a moment. Is there something that you could get them that will remind them of you and the good times you have had together? Something that will stand the test of time. It doesn't have to cost a lot. It just needs to be something that they will remember came from you.
Food for thought.
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