The stories of my life on a little island in the middle of the Mediterranean sea ... and my occasional adventures beyond these shores.

Wednesday 6 October 2010

A Cup of Memories

Old cup (2)
It’s not really much to look at – just a small cup with several chips and small cracks. Yet each time I hold it in my hands my heart skips a beat. This humble cup has been in my mum’s family for at least one hundred years. I remember it vaguely at my great-grandmother’s house and now it has passed on to me.
Old cup (3)
And each time I hold it in my hands I wonder what other hands have held it. Was it a child’s cup? Is it the only survivor of a whole set? It seems so fragile. How is it possible that it is still intact after all these years? If only it could talk … if only it could tell me … so many memories in one little cup.   Old cup (8)

16 comments:

  1. amazing how a simple cup embodies memories, history and mystery. that is one beautiful cup.

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  2. Oh wow. That's amazing actually!

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  3. After reading your post, all those cracks in that cup seems enchanting...

    Amazing.

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  4. A cup of Memories, beautiful in itself, in its history and in the way you portrayed it.
    Thanks for sharing this with us Loree : )

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  5. Things can hold beautiful memories no matter how insignificant they may seem to the rest of the world.
    A family's history is made up of these little treasures.
    It's the same for me.
    Sue.

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  6. I like your thoughts on this subject that transcends time! I myself a cup of money belonging to my family for generations, the sentimental value can not be explained and is priceless!... Bye !! :))

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  7. What a beautiful piece of family history! If only it could talk.

    Thank you for sharing it with us!

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  8. In his memoir, Patrimony, Philip Roth narrated how he refused his share in his father's estate and merely wanted the shaving mug that his grandfather passed on to his father. It somehow symbolized his patrimony.

    Have a wonderful weekend, Loree! :)

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  9. Wow..what a treasure, Loree..It must be great to think of all the relatives and friends who had held the cup in their hands!

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  10. yes, if only that cup could talk, what tales it would tell of the folks it has nourished!

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  11. so very awesome that you still have that. So many stories that might be told from one little cup. L.M. Montgomery author of Anne of Green Gable wrote a book called A Tangled Web and a lot of the plot has to do with a 100 year old vase. Maybe you could write your own memories for the mug.

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  12. Just stumbling through your life/blog. My wife has a china cup that came from her grandmother. It is well over 100 years old and an important keepsake. This same grandma lived to be just days short of 105 years old. Our youngest son was her 100th great grandchild. She, grandma, pre dated most of what we take for granted each day. Cars, telephone, computers, electric lights, etc. The list is long. Thanks for this post that helped me remember her today!

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  13. How lovely. I have my Grandmothers glass cabinet. I survived the journey to Cyprus and it houses a few old cups, with precious memories. I do love the colours on yours. A real treasure.

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  14. AWw...sooo super-beautiful Loree! how special and amazing to have it...a wonderful feeling! it is very charming and pretty! I love it! Beautiful post...how did i miss this one!!? catching up is fun! I love this post..beautiful and meaningful!
    Hugs
    Kiki~

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  15. That is such a beautiful post!! I had at one time a complete set of my grandma's dishes. I was such a silly young thing when I married, I didn't have the sense to keep them exactly as they were, to treasure them for years to come and pass them on to my girls, then on (and on). How sad it makes me today to remember those precious dishes that would have been so meaningful for us all!!! I am happy you have the cup, cherish it as it should be!!

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  16. Old things can call up so many wonderful thoughts and feelings. I came across your post in searching for the phrase "what other hands have held it" which I today used in my similar musings about a 1668 shilling.

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Thanks for stopping by. I read and appreciate every one of your comments. I will do my best to reply whenever I can.

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