Dogwood China and Cherry Cabinets

I just recently moved. Now, over my 47 year lifetime I have moved many, many times. Specifically since I became single 13 years ago I have moved 7 times. That's almost moving every two years. I hope that my current residence is the place I will stay for many, many years to come, a place that I can actually call my own and make my own. This move will present all kinds of possibilities. I have never had beautiful furniture. I am always taking hand-me-downs or buying off Craigs list or Yard Sales. Two Saturdays ago I watched some of that hand-me-down furniture move in, but I also watched one of the most beautiful pieces move in, a piece I have never been able to claim until now. It is a gorgeous cherry china cabinet that I grew up with. My grandmother and grandfather owned it. I remember so often helping my grandmother set the table and pulling the china and special glasses from that cabinet. It has this amazing smell when you open the door. It's sort of sweet, but not too sweet, and it just smells smooth, if that makes sense. I stood there in front of that cabinet this evening, letting the smell waft over me as I opened the door, and unpacked the other beautiful heirloom I have from my grandmother, her dogwood china. I was a little panicked as we were packing the last loaded boxes for the move, as I had not seen that china for at least 3 years. My last move I had no occasion to really use fine china, so the box was never unpacked. Again, from my childhood, I remembered setting the table with that beautiful china. It isn't like most china patterns. It's base color is a rich cream, and the border is large white dogwood flowers, but not gaudy, delicate and illustrated like a watercolor painting. I loved that china, not only because it is beautiful, but it means something to me, holiday dinners and Christmas Circle meetings and just when we wanted to get fancy. I was so distressed when I thought I may have lost some of it. As was my grandmother's habit, she wanted to see her children and grandchildren enjoy her legacy. Several Christmases ago when I was still married she had this huge box for me, and I thought, what in the world did she buy? When I opened that box and unwrapped that first plate and saw that it was her dogwood china, I was so thrilled and extremely touched, and, of course, I cried.
I had unpacked several boxes here in my new home marked dogwood china, but I still had not found the dinner plates until tonight. I unpacked them, and reunited them with their rightful place, the cherry china cabinet. I will pull that china out and set my holiday tables for many years, and perhaps, one day, so will my grandchildren as they begin to build their own memories of dinner at Grandma's house.