Story Written on a Linen Dinner Napkin

Wishing everyone Happy Holidays, however you celebrate them! Today I'm ironing a half-dozen linen dinner napkins in preparation for our traditional Christmas morning breakfast. I found them for just a few dollars at a tag sale this past summer. Belonged to the mother of a local artist who never used them. And they have a fancy letter "P" embroidered on them. A serendipitous find! We've been using them for all our special occasions since. No disposables. I don't mind ironing these. Have been doing a lot more things by hand this past year in order to reduce my environmental impact: hand washing dishes, hanging laundry up to dry, and continuing to cook more and more from scratch. These activities provide valuable time for reflection. They slow the fast spinning wheel of life. And I love second hand things. They come with stories. These napkins were likely a wedding present given with love by a caring relative, used at many festive family gatherings. These are the happy stories I imagine, and hope will join others we write for ourselves in the coming years. May all your stories be happy ones in 2010 and beyond! Peace! Kay Pere (c)2009 Kay Pere ~ Effusive Muse Publishing