The Cookie Jar

The Cookie Jar…

Sitting in a corner,
painted gold many years ago,
with large flowers that have since begun to chip and fade
as if losing their petals for the winter season,
is a simple cookie jar.
Decades have passed since the sturdy, ceramic jar
has held the aroma of
chocolate chip or raisin walnut or cinnamon sugar,
yet its value lingers on.
There it sits in the corner,
sitting regally and strong upon a delicate hand-woven doily,
a time capsule to family history
and a monument to cherished memories.
The lid is purposeful,
a round simple design with a handle upon the top,
just the right size for a young hand to grasp when
visiting grandma’s house.
Its belly is large enough to hold a couple dozen,
at least,
although it seldom remained full for very long.
It has no grand artistic design or fancy decorations,
no glossy finish,
no airtight, screw-on or snap-on lid,
and it is made of no lightweight materials.
It’s just a simple, old-fashioned cookie jar
that has stood the test of time,
sitting in the corner,
watching as time has marked children’s birthdays
and wedding anniversaries,
summer holidays and winter snowfalls,
going away parties, and family reunions.
Selflessly, it has sat there,
this simple cookie jar,
helping to ease the pain of scraped knees
or bruised egos,
helping to congratulate a passing grade
or a job well done.
It has moved through the homes of three generations,
it has moved across states and time zones,
it has moved from one corner to another,
this simple cookie jar,
which isn’t really so simple at all,
and, yet, still sits there,
regal and strong,
silently reminding the present of the past,
silently offering its services for the future,
and waiting, waiting.