The "Little Red Cup"...

I'm "older"...old enough anyway, but this cup...I THINK might even be older than me. At first glance you might think that this "Little Red Cup" is just an ordinary cup...a washed out red, marked up from small children scraping their teeth on its sides, and made from a thin plastic... but don't let its distressed looks deceive you...its got a long history and many stories to tell. I was first introduced to this cup as it sat by the sink at my Grandparents house. It was the "community cup". When we went to visit Grandma and Grandpa and needed a drink, this is the cup we drank out of...ALL OF US. It was unheard of to reach in the cupboard for a clean, pretty cup, we all used the community cup...it was just the way it was. It prevented a pile of cups from having to be washed, and regardless of who you were... man, woman or child...this is the cup that you filled to quench your thirst with. The "Little Red Cup" was stability, it was comfort, it was the norm...and it was what you did at Grandma and Grandpa's. THEN one day I went to Grandma and Grandpa's to find the cup was gone. It was put away, up in the cupboard with all of the rest of the cups and there in its place was a NEW cup. YES, the new cup was in better shape, it was made from a sturdier, thicker plastic. It was a little bigger and was a pretty bright YELLOW, but I missed the cute "Little Red Cup". It was what I had grown up with and it didn't seem right to have it nestled away in the cupboard. But thats where it now resided.

"Little Red Cup" had many other responsibilities besides sitting by the side of the sink...it (along with a few of its brother and sister cups) was also used to serve orange or grape juice to all of the grandchildren as Grandpa made his famous breakfast of "Eggs, fresh side bacon and toast". I remember Grandpa pouring cold juice into my "Little Red Cup", as I held it firm and still, as to not spill it's content. For some reason the juice served in "Little Red Cup" always tasted better than when it was served in any other cup. After growing up and returning to visit my sweet grandparents, I always pulled "Little Red Cup" down from the cupboard and had a glass of juice from the sweet red plastic cup. It made me feel like a kid again.

When Grandpa and Grandma passed away, my dad asked me if there was anything of theirs that I wanted. I really couldn't think of anything...I just wanted something that reminded me of them. I didn't want their couch, I didn't went the bedroom set, I didn't want the TV...I'm more sentimental and hold onto things that have history or memories for me. Thats when I told Dad that I would love to have the "Little Red Cups" from the kitchen cupboard. Dad said that he would see what he could do. I was thrilled when he showed up with 2 of the "Little Red Cups". I don't know what happened to the rest of the collection nor do I care...I was just happy to get the 2 that I did. No, I don't have them sitting by my sink as a community cup. I think that the "community cup" theory died with Grandma and Grandpa's generation...but I do drink juice from them periodically, but mostly I pull them down and look at them and enjoy all the wonderful memories they bring back. I am hoping as my grandchildren grow up and pay many visits here in my home that I can give them the same kind of love, stability and comfort that my grandparents and the "Little Red Cup" gave me.