The unused treasure

The unused treasure

There is a coffee cup sitting in the corner of the shelf that houses the rest of the coffee cups.  Each morning and sometimes throughout the day, a cup is taken from the shelf, used for a nice hot cup of coffee or herbal tea. That cup is then washed, dried and replaced on the shelf.  In and out the various mugs go, but there is one that just sits, right in the front corner of the shelf, not being used at all.

But even though it’s not used, it’s the most important coffee cup on the shelf.  I can’t bring myself to use it, since I don’t want it to break.  And its placement on that shelf means that every time I open that cabinet, I see the cup, and smile.

You see, my mother passed away a little less than 2 years ago, just a week before Christmas.  And when she knew she was going downhill, she insisted on purchasing the last Christmas present she was ever going to buy me.  She knew it was the last, and I knew it also.  She told me she hoped I would think of her every morning when I used that cup.  As if I wouldn’t think of her every day at all sorts of different times and different ways.  She’s always in my mind and in my heart.  But perhaps she needed to ensure that SHE knew her memory was going to be kept alive.

So I have her beautiful gift in its place of honor in my cabinet.  I can’t bring myself to use it, as I don’t want to take the chance of ruining it.  So it sits on the shelf, reminding me of her. My mom always did have a knack for knowing exactly what to get!