Clustered together in the corner of a cabinet in my kitchen, they sit collecting dust. Chunky and square. Narrow lipped with a fuller base. Ruffled edges like the petals on a peony. And my favorite, an emerald green base with ridges that run up the sides to a midnight purple cup – a calla lily.
These vases, and many before them, allow me to enjoy one of my favorite parts of nature – flowers – in any room I want, even in the winter.
The first vase I ever received that I kept came from someone near and dear to my heart.
It was my sixteenth birthday and my little sister gave me an arrangement of sixteen red roses with baby’s breath and greenery. It was gorgeous! The vase itself added to the beauty of the arrangement – shaped like the curve of a woman’s hip, the mouth narrowed at the top and lined with gold. It made a special occasion even more special.
Since then, I’ve received flowers and vases from other family members, and even from boyfriends, but it’s my first flower vase from my sister that I cherish the most.