Out of Nowhere

My grandma had a ceramics shop in her basement. She made Christmas villages that were so beautiful. There were houses and businesses, people playing and sledding, old bridges for the horse drawn buggy to go over, trees galore and a church. The church sticks with me. It was so beautiful. It was snow white with gold detailing. The windows were open and a light was set inside. It looked very much like the church I attended as a child. Sometimes I would close  my eyes and imagine the people in there. I could hear the bell ringing in the steeple and hear Christmas carols being sung. She was a fan of putting wind up music boxes in things. It is one of my favorite Christmas decoration pieces, that church.

She made other wonderful things down there too. She made dolls prettier then any you could find in the stores. She made chess sets and mugs, beer steins, plates, platters, bears, toys and more knick knack items then you could shake a stick at. I have boxes of them in my garage. All waiting to be painted and fired. She wanted to teach me, but I thought I knew. I was wrong. I haven't the slightest idea what to do with any of it. So it sits.

When we were kids she would take us down there and let us pick a piece to paint. We had to clean them, scrapping away the little ridges and dusting all the powder off. We painted and glazed and fired. As a matter of fact in the little door of my desk I  have a black cat and a cat with an orange moon behind it. Those were the things I made with pride when I would go down to grandmas basement.

When grandma got sick she started giving away all  her ceramic stuff. I didn't know if I wanted it. I always figured there would be time. But there's not, it's gone and so is she and I will never get the chance to  ask her how it all works. I wont be able to show her what I've done, like I did so often as a kid.

She made these ornaments. Every year was something different. She made them for her church, for Thrivent, for our church and she would make special ones for those who passed away. I have one she made when her mother passed away. She made them for Poppy and Grandpa Kelly and she even made one for Tim. I have all of them. I found Poppy's today when I was cleaning out the garage. I stood there and I looked at it and cried. Who makes the ornament for her now?