The Tray


The other day I went to get a tray from the kitchen to transport some food. As I went to grab it I paused and reflected and had a little smile for this piece of wood.
I vividly remember purchasing this tray at Target, of course. My boyfriend and I would often eat in his basement & we needed a way to bring our dinners downstairs. I can still picture us now, two twenty-somethings with the world at their feet eating dinner off the tray. That tray saw us fall in love.
Fast forward several years and the tray was now being used for a different reason, bringing me food & drink as I nursed our baby. Like Pavlov’s dog I would get excited when I saw the tray with water & a snack. It nourished me as I nourished our baby.
For a while in our family the tray was known as the Sick Tray. When our kiddos got sick we would bring them food & drink on it while they sat on the couch & watched a movie. That Sick Tray saw our kids through many an illness through the years.
Through the last many years the tray has been the party tray. When the kids have friends over we use the tray to carry snacks downstairs to them in the basement. Junk food and drinks have taken over the tray lately.
And then the other day happened. For the first time, the tray brought breakfast to my oldest child as he studied for a high school final. I’m sure the tray will provide nourishment to all of our kiddos as they get older and are doing some last minute studying. Maybe now it can be called the Smart Tray.
If the tray could talk I would love to hear its memories. Until then I will continue to notice the milestones that it has endured with our family.

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