Go Ask Mom

Amanda Lamb: Every day is a special occasion

Waiting for a "special day" causes you to miss the one right in front of you.

Posted Updated
Amanda Lamb's Thanksgiving table
By
Amanda Lamb
, WRAL reporter

As I set my Thanksgiving table for four with my mother’s tablecloth, napkins, and candles circa 1975, I wondered why I had never used any of this stuff before.

Like a lot of people, I’ve used the pandemic as a time to clean out, organize and divest, a time to get rid of excess. But in the process, I have found things that I deemed “special” only to be used on a “special occasion.” When I come across these things now—the tablecloth, my grandmother’s silver tray, a my mother’s small sparkly wallet, brightly colored wine glasses we got as a wedding gift—I think, what am I waiting for?

My paternal grandmother, Lady, who was my hero for so many reasons, used to tell me that there was no point in having nice things and not using them. She told me the “rainy day” theory of life was bunk. That I should enjoy my special things every single day because you never know what tomorrow will bring.

If the pandemic has taught me anything it is this—today can be a special occasion if you deem it to be. Waiting for a “special day” causes you to miss the one right in front of you. So, for me, there’s no more waiting. My children will get to enjoy things passed down for generations in our family. I will tell them stories about where the items came from. And someday, they will inherit the special things and share them with their children.

It is not the things we leave behind, but the legacy that lives on through our stories, shared and passed down through generations. I’m pretty sure Lady is dancing a conga line somewhere cheering me on every time I use her silver butter knife to put jelly on my English Muffin ...

Amanda is the mom of two, a reporter for WRAL-TV and the author of several books including some on motherhood. Find her here on Mondays.

 Credits 

Copyright 2024 by Capitol Broadcasting Company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.