Look now to the potter whose wheel is spinning round,
Shaping with her hands the past and future from the ground,
Cups that will be filled and drunk so warm in wintertime,
Plates and bowls for dinners served by candlelight with wine.

And she believes, she believes;
By her work it's so easy to see
That the future is more than the following day,
It's fashioned securely in the clay.

from "Fashioned in the Clay" by Elmer Beal

Although our set of china is old and the pattern practically worn off many of the pieces, we'd rather eat from it rather than melmac any day of the week. And, although we don't necessarily pick pottery as our souvenir on every trip, we have a significan number of pieces that conjure up happy memories for us.

Some years back, our local food bank had a fundraiser at which, for our monetary donation, we could choose from bowls made by various local celebrities and have it filled with soup accompanied by a thick slice of crusty homemade bread. Only a mother could love some of the bowls that were available, but we were able to find two that we liked quite well, and we still get a good feeling about the fact that we were able to help put soup in someone else's bowl through our purchase.

So, potters, keep up the good work. I'd hate to see the day that there was no market for your wares.