Beloved family heirlooms

These were days of hard labor and contentment. A hearty meal and a good night sleep were next day's fuel. At mealtime, the families gathered around a big pot filled with seasonal offerings from the heart of the earth they had plowed and nurtured, the animals they had fed and sheltered. Each and all were in the service of the circle of life. Copper pots such as these were prized family heirlooms, handed down from generation to generation, often as part of a dowry or inheritance. A fresh coat of tin gave them a facelift and new energy to serve yet again. Had these pots been able to talk, oh the stories they would have told. So many journeys of transformation... the inexperienced new brides that evolved into moms then tetas with village-wide legendary cooking skills, the small families that very quickly grew in size before they shrunk again years later... the little ones that chased their balls, buddies and butterflies then left far away to chase their dreams. So many honest stories of failures and accomplishments, fear and courage, pain and healing, joy and despair, as each shared the daily ventures between the kitchen walls and around the dinner table. They would have revealed the secret of the heartiest kishik, the richest qawarma, the tastiest jams and thickest pastes that ever touched their surfaces. Today, we see these heirlooms again, proudly displayed as prized decorative accessories, a nostalgic reminiscence of a past and people forever gone and a soft reminder that we all come and go, while the circle of life continues, undaunted.