Things

Written by Rachel Riley

While sitting in my living room yesterday visiting with a guest, my eyes fell on something that Uncle Bill had given me on one of my last trips to Roanoke to see him.  He never liked to make a fuss about things, but he gave me his and Nita’s 50^th anniversary commemorative metal four-leaf clover covered in 24-karat gold.  It has hung on my fireplace mantel ever since.  The four leaves have engravings.  Top left is “BILL,” top right is “NITA,” the bottom left features “1944,” and bottom right says “1994.” 

This surprise gift came during a visit when Bill was openly thinking about what he should do with his things.  Table linens, china, his Franciscan Apple patterned cookie jar, and other objects emerged from their home in the hall closet, corner cupboard, and chests of drawers.   I remember Bill and Nita using that cookie jar daily for decades (yes, decades!).

Every day after lunch, but before he went back to work, Bill would have sandwich cookies. How did he make a sandwich cookie? He opened two halves of a cookie and put a good amount of peanut butter in between and smashed together. He LOVED peanut butter!

In the end, I came away from that visit with a Christmas tablecloth that had many cigarette burns in it, the cookie jar, and the four-leaf clover anniversary ornament.  I am fairly confident that one of my children will keep it when I am gone.  In a way, I’m repeating what Uncle Bill did, which is always a good thing to do.