I looked down at the old lace tablecloth and it brought back memories of Aunt Masie...
"Get your hands off there child - they're grotty! Go wash them now!
She was gruff but sweet - very particular about her china and the linen.
Many years later - she has passed away and she has left all of these things to me.
Somehow - I never felt like I was good enough for them. Not that my hands are too grotty, but I'm just not old fashioned or sophisticated enough for them. I felt like that then and I feel like that now.
I was one of seven kids on the poorer side of the family, and she always made me feel inadequate. Yet I always wanted to be more like her - nice expensive clothes, nice shoes and a lovely house with this lovely tablecloth.
Why she left it to me now I do not know...