WRAPPED, PACKED, AND UNPACKED
For 27 years I have housed what we all call “grandma’s china.” These old plates, platters, and teacups have been wrapped, packed, and unpacked now 12 different times through our different moves. For all these years they have just sat collecting dust. It is kind of silly how we save things for the “company”, but then we don’t actually use them when the company comes because it’s just easier to use paper plates. That’s like buying an outfit and not wearing it because it may wear out someday. I was also afraid they would break from one of my children, so high on the shelf, they sat.
DISCOVERING OUR ROOTS
The china belonged to Great-Grandmother Maudell Harris who is Brad’s Great-Grandmother. The china will be given to my youngest daughter Natalie Maudell when she is married and ready to set up her home. Not only is the name special as a namesake, but when moving to Sanpete County we did a little bit of digging into our ancestral heritage to see if there was any family connection to the area and were shocked to learn how all of my husband’s family had originated from the county which is where the Danish immigrants settled under Brigham Young’s counsel. We had always heard stories of these families coming from Idaho and Canada only. What a delight it was to learn the history of Grandmother Maudell and to know she was born in Wales, Utah, 30 minutes away, and lived near her grandmother’s house growing up. It was even more thrilling to find her childhood home.
PASSING DOWN THE FAITH
With our greater focus for the family now centered on the dinner table, I have not hesitated to use these dishes with my grandchildren when they who live down the street come to visit for Sunday dinners, to help them connect not only to the finer things in life but to their own history someday.
For years I hauled these dishes around unpacking them over and over and wishing I did not have to shelf them. Now my greatest regret is that I did not look backward to see how they had a story, and to share it. As I read Great-Grandma Maudell’s life history one will learn our family connection to the prophet Joseph Smith. You learn that she was a wonderful cook and hostess and brought many people to her table as now we are, too. One can not help but think…what were her dinner conversations about? Did she have in her mind the same desire to teach her family the gospel as they sipped from these teacups? Or give gratitude to the Lord as they gathered for Thanksgiving; with a beautiful turkey in the center on the platter? What did she do with her family to pass the faith down to the next generation?
No longer are these dishes hidden somewhere, untouchable, lost, dusty, and forgotten. Now, these dishes are housed in an old antique hutch right next to the table for easy access.
WHAT WILL YOU DO?
When was the last time you used your grandmother’s china? Do you know the history of it? Do your children know the history? What are you waiting for? Don’t leave it locked up waiting to use it. Gather your family to the table and make connections to those who have come before and are part of your own roots!
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Julie
Julie Smith is the Education Director for the Joseph Smith Foundation. She is the former owner of the Glenn J. Kimber Academy in Lehi, Utah. Julie served as a regional trainer—establishing 18 schools in Arizona, Idaho, and Utah. She is a certified teacher for The Thomas Jefferson Center for Constitutional Restoration (TJC) and taught the Making of America seminars written by W. Cleon Skousen and Glenn J. Kimber. Some of her children also traveled across the nation, assisting in teaching during these seminars. Julie taught history and Book of Mormon classes for 10 years. Julie is the mother of 5 children and grandmother to 7. She homeschooled for over 27 years, working through family challenges including pornography addiction, testimony faith crises, and teenage rebellion. She writes and teaches on strengthening the family, working with troubled youth, practically applying the teachings of scripture and the Prophet Joseph Smith, and celebrating higher standards. In her spare time, Julie also enjoys gardening, managing her .5-acre homestead, and hosting Sunday dinners with her family! Her home is a revolving door of guests and friends as her family hosts cultural celebrations and teaching events.
