Mug Shot.

It came to me today, as I was making my early morning mug of tea. it’s a huge mug, because I like to drink lots of tea in bed in the mornings, while I pick up my emails and read a few newspaper articles. And because  I’ve never seen my name on anything, from a mug to a keyring (apart from my books of course!) I went to a local potter and asked him to make an especially big mug for me with my name on. Here it is.

I’ve had it for years, and I use it almost every morning. And today, as I gulped down a swig of Earl Grey I realised that mugs aren’t just simple objects with no meaning. They can say quite a lot. So when I went downstairs I had a good look in my cupboard, and brought out all the mugs that say the most to me.

When I lined them all up I realised that the ones that meant the most were the ones that reminded me of people.

There’s the one my lovely sister Ruth gave me. It came with hot chocolate powder and mini marshmallows, and a little pottery spoon in a slot in the handle. Sadly the spoon broke, but I still have the mug. I use it for hot chocolate and always think of her when I drink out of it.

Then there’s the little cat and books one my other lovely sister Rachael gave me. I keep that one in my bedroom for water. My son in America gave me a red one made out of cornstarch (yes really!) and my friend Steve gave me the one with 60 on it. Two of the most precious ones belonged to my mother, who died a few years ago. I often used to choose the iris one when I went to see her, and the Mickey Mouse one is very special indeed. My mother was born in the same year that Mickey Mouse first appeared in a cartoon. When Mickey was 60, my mother was too, and for her birthday she asked for a Mickey Mouse telephone!  I use those mugs whenever I remember my mother with happiness at all the fun times we had.

So, mugs aren’t just mugs for me. They are also people. The full mug shot is below. Do you have a mug that has special memories, or something else that triggers happy thoughts?