I am trying to make old things beautiful. I am a caregiver. I want everything at its best.

I believe the possessions of my family deserve respect. They chose these items. They bought them when money and resources were scarce. These are the things they saved and passed on. They have value in many forms, not just monetary value.

I learned this lesson from a strange, little, tarnished spoon.

There is a bowl of mismatched, silverplate, serving pieces at Mama’s house. I have been sorting and polishing all things silver and brass.

Among these utensils was a strange-shaped, blackened spoon. Its design matched nothing else in the bowl. It even had remnants of silver polish dried in its crevices.

Polishing such a faceted piece is hard work. Someone must have decided it wasn’t worth the effort.

I had to rub every bit of it multiple times to see its shine. It was like the sun emerging from a cloud.

That strange, little spoon is a gorgeous work of art. It has a P on the handle for Pearson, my great grandmother’s married name.

I spent a lot of time researching the mark of the maker; a lion on hind legs facing left, holding a snake, standing in a C.

It was made by Frank W. Smith Silver Co. of Gardner, Massachusetts. Its pattern name is Oak.

It is a treasure. I told my sister I fell in love with the spoon and must keep it. It spoke to me, you see.

Be careful while sorting and choosing what you keep. You may miss out on a tarnished treasure.

FLOW