Mugs for Mom

Today as I was unloading the dishwasher and tenderly putting my mugs into their place I realized I could tell a lot about the weekend and my girls by which mugs had been used.
We are a very sentimental bunch and perhaps one of our (definitely mine) greatest treasures is the beloved mug collection.

The star by far is a handcrafted green glazed mug humble and utilitarian but she's the favored mug of our home. It may be for it's earthiness and comfort, maybe because it was made of clay in a homemade kiln in Texas and we were at the site of it's birth. It came in a set of two and I must confess I cried when it's twin was broken. It was given to us one Thanksgiving as a gift. Our family and our dear friends the Borens were invited by Sonny and Margey Janes for a wonderful Texas Thanksgiving at their lake house. It was one of those weekends you never want to end. Our girls were still children and we were surrounded by good friends and family and all was well in our world. My best friend Lisa was also chosen to receive the gift of the perfect green mugs. We have had countless talks, sharing life's joy, struggles, disappointment and hopes for our dear girls as we sip our concoction of coffee and hazelnut creamer from the green mugs. It's comforting, somehow a token of our friendship and history. If you ever visit me and I bestow on you the honor of drinking from the green mug you must understand it is my highest compliment.

This weekend I am sad to say a pink, chipped and well used mug found it's way out of the back of the dark cabinet, searched out with a heavy heart. We are a family of girls, girls, girls and this is the dreaded heartbreak mug with the crude words "love Stinks" printed on it. Everyone knows that in The Collins house that if you sit at the kitchen table with the Love stinks mug, you are needing your sisters and "Mom" and whatever girl friends may be around to come along side to listen and help you wrack your brain trying to understand the mystery of "Guys, boy's or rarely men". This usually calls for the collaboration of The Boren Girls and Collins Girls to go over every detail of what your feeling, Why your feeling it and what can be done about it. It usually ends with us needing chocolate but hopefully knowing we're not alone in our quest for understanding the male mind and it's perceived insensitivity.

The Owl Mug is a bittersweet one It was bought last year as we shopped for a short lived but joyous project called The Red Door, a music venue we ran for one busy, hectic but very happy year. Anytime I drink from it I say a prayer for all the wonderful "Red Door Kids" we loved, laughed with and cleaned up after. I know my dear Mya would like it but I can't bear to give it up.

A small mug with the scrawled writing declaring "I Love Mom" is used when someone wants to declare her love for me or is used by me when I'm feeling unappreciated. If I fix a drink for my girls in that mug I'm reminding them that even though I'm exasperating, irritating and paranoid that I love them more than life, I'm going to forever and nothing they can say or do will ever change that. I know, it's my manipulation mug.

My manly mug, a huge, white Old Spice, ship mug was my fathers shaving mug long ago. After he died I asked for it and drank from nothing else for a long time because using something he had used everyday made me feel close to him. I can still picture him shaving and hear his voice and when I use it.

A few years later Moms favorite mug that was given to her by my sister, joined the collection. It has her birth year and trivia printed on it. when I wish I could share a cup of coffee and get her advise and wisdom I use the mug as I read over her collection of poems and essays. (She was a writer and left hundreds of poems, essays, short stories, songs and sermons.) I know my sister probably doesn't even know I took it. I'm Sorry Sherry but I had to have it.

A patriotic flag mug was bought years ago one fourth of July and was casually used until that awful morning on September 11th. I drank from only that one for months as I grieved for my beautiful country and the valuable lives lost that day. I still remember and pray for America and our precious troops as they pay the ultimate price every day. It's so faded now from all it's use but it's beautiful to me.

Then there's the large green latte mug given to me by my assistant and friend Jennifer from the days at BRSM and BMTC (back when my husband and I presided over a Bible School) It reminds me of the happiest times of my life. I miss those days and students more than anything.

Then there's the colorful, chipped, glued Mexican mug that my oldest daughter brought back from Mexico. I love it's shape, character and bold and bright colors It reminds me that she loves me and knows there's no better lasting gift for Mom than a mug. It also reminds me of another one of my "kids" Michael who would drink from nothing but the "Mexican Mug" on the afternoons he ate lunch with us which was almost every day last year. It can no longer be put in the dishwasher because it's handle has been glued so very many times. I'm sad to see it in the back of the cabinet because it reminds me that it's been too long since he visited me.

I also favor a sweet black and white plaid, Starbucks mug that was a gift from my friend, sweet Helen of Wales. I always think of her and my Welsh friends as I drink from it.

Then there's the friendship mug given to me by my dear, old friend Kay Holly along with my first copy of "Chicken Soup for the Soul". It was on the tragic day that I was moving away from my home and terrified of a new beginning. She drove with us to help us move from the mountains of West Virginia to the beaches of Florida. We read the book aloud and laughed and cried together. This mug reminds me that even when moving forward we always need to hold on to our history and friends from the past. I always think of the beautiful years of babies, kindergarten and Central Elementary School , field trips and ice cream and the joy of living in a small, sweet mountain town when I see this mug.

Then there's the ancient tea cups, family heirlooms that are only used for holidays but had their day back in the blissful years of little girls and tea parties. I have pictures of my youngest and her friends all dressed up in hats and gloves for the tea party. I hope one day I'll bring them out again for the next generation of sweet little Collins ' girls.

So I guess my life story can be found in a cupboard. One thing I do
know is that There are many more mugs and memories to come, so bring on the coffee and the tea we can handle any crisis from our families kitchen table. I think I have a mug for that........