A Cup Full of Memories

“Do we really need ALL of these mugs?” my husband asks. He’s standing in front of an open cabinet, a newly washed mug in each hand, clearly frustrated at seeing no visible space in the cabinet.

Given that there are only five people living in the house, far more than five mugs in the cabinet, and no space for the two mugs in hand, the simple answer to that question should likely be an overwhelming no! But when is anything ever simple?

I take the mugs and push him aside.

There on the second shelf is a set of three flowered mugs, once a set of four, that were given to us at our wedding shower. The gift giver wasn’t really the flowery sort, but the guy she was dating at the time – the one who would one day become her husband – saw them and told her I’d absolutely love them. I did, and I still do. Every time I pull one out, I remember spaghetti dinners, hopscotch games, whispers of “yes, he’s the one!” and so much laughter shared with a good friend.

Next to those flowered mugs is the set of four Rocking Horse Ranch mugs the kids won playing Bingo at the all-inclusive resort we visited with Grandma. For reasons all their own, they were convinced I needed a “full set” of mugs. They defined a full set as two black and two beige, and they played round after round of BINGO each day until they’d acquired the aforementioned two and two. Even as I insisted one of each would indeed be plenty, they continued looking past prizes they’d probably have enjoyed more to get me that set of mugs that, given the current mug-placement dilemma, I truly didn’t need. Still, I love that they decided to show their love in such a tangible manner, and I smile every time I pull one out as I think of those kids, now a bit older, still with the same huge hearts and determined spirits.

There’s the “good book and a cup of coffee” mug; the “special sister” mug, dainty and perfectly shaped for a soothing cup of tea; and the giant “Some call it chaos, we call it family” mug, each of these gifted to me by sweet friends. Hidden in the back is a small white and black panda mug. A perfect replica of a favorite mug from my childhood, this one found on eBay after the original slipped out of a child’s hands and shattered into pieces, breaking his heart into nearly as many pieces as the mug.

There are small mugs and large mugs, short mugs and tall mugs, red plaid mugs and flowered mugs, each with its own memory, its own smile, and its own time to be pulled out and enjoyed.

So, “Do we really need all of these mugs?” Yes, yes we do. These mugs hold big smiles, warm hugs, and sweet memories… and I can’t be the only one who opens her mug cabinet, ready to take a walk down memory lane! And with that, I move a mug here and a mug there and manage to carefully squeeze those last two mugs back into their spots in the cabinet that does indeed have just enough space, if you know where to look and how to stack.