Janie's Table

My mother-in-law isn't a woman who gushes with saccharine emotion, but when she sets the table for a holiday dinner, a soft love rises to the surface. She always sets the table the night before, and her guests aren't around to see the soft care she pours into it. She takes out her aunt's silver and her mother's china. She smooths tablecloths and napkins, bustles over salt shakers and serving spoons, sets special places for the kids.

Soon, sons and brothers and wives and children will tumble in. Crowded conversation and kitchen smells will take the spotlight, and I'll wonder who sees the table, and who knows what it means. But on this morning, before voices and before the food, I got it--Janie's love letter to each of us.