My grandfather had a mirror on a closet door in his kitchen. I remember him walking me over to the closet with his arm around my shoulders. He opened the door and there we stood, he and I reflected. He gave me a little squeeze and said, "There's the cook."
It became a saying in our family. I remember Ant Cinny saying it, "The cook's in the mirror." And I didn't think anything of it back then. In our family if you were around long enough to know where we kept the tea cups, and which shelf the milk when on in the fridge, you were family and "the cook is in the mirror" applied to you.
And you know, that made me feel good when I was a teenager. My grandad trusted me enough to let me have run of the kitchen. And you know, I hope it makes everybody feel like that when they come to my house.
"The cook is in the mirror," is a way to tell you you are welcome. That there is nothing so precious in my kitchen that it can't be used by my family or friends. That the order of my kitchen will not be disrupted if you put the spoons back in the wrong drawer. That there is nothing there that is off limits to share with you. I will even let you use my new coffee mug, a really big one with the New York City skyline on it, that Rachel gave me for Christmas.
I don't do this perfectly, sometimes I complain to myself, but this is what I want for the new year, a kitchen and a whole house even, that people can feel comfortable in.
My friend Glenda says that my house reminds her of going home to her mother's house in Kentucky. That is high praise indeed. I just might be as welcoming as my Grandpa someday. And I might just hang a mirror in my kitchen.
Yours is the most welcoming house I've ever been in. It's set an example for me my whole life! Love you!
ReplyDeleteYou are doing a good job creating a welcoming atmosphere in your home!
ReplyDeleteand if you stick around long enough, she'll even stock the fridge for you!
ReplyDeleteYour kitchen has always been one of my favorite places.