A Little Cup of Beauty

When my Grandmother passed away this past month, it was not a surprise or unexpected, but it still hurt deeply. She was 93 years old and has been barely hanging on for months. It was her time and she was at peace with it.

But that doesn't make it any easier for those of us left behind. We are the ones left with the memories and the aching emptiness that remains after someone dies.

After Grandma passed away, my mom gave me a coffee mug that had been given to my Grandmother years ago. She had been a teacher years ago, and so one side had the school logo and on the other was my Grandma's name. The mug sat in her kitchen for years and it was so special to her that I never saw it in use. My daughter was named after Grandma, and my mom felt it would be fitting for her to have it.

I looked at the mug and thought about my mom. The eldest of Grandma's children, my mom was also her primary caregiver and had moved in with her to provide continuous care. Now she was left in my Grandma's house, full of memories of the life now gone, and with no one else in the space to share her pain. I wanted to give her something to honor my Grandma, her mother, and also to show that she is in my thoughts each day.

I asked my daughter for permission to use the mug for a gift and she immediately agreed. She gets her caring heart from her namesake, as well as a love of flowers. The first thing I think of when I remember my Grandmother is roses. She used to have rose bushes and she told me that her love for them came from her father, so it has been in our family for many many years.

I took the mug and used some assorted sugar flowers to create a bouquet for my mom. My husband was in awe, and even better, my mom was brought to tears when she saw it. I do not like to pat my own back, but it was beautiful, and the perfect expression of love and remembrance of a small woman who exuded gigantic measures of love, kindness, faith, and beauty.