off the shelf

Speaking of resolutions - who the heck was? - I had decided a while before the new year began, that I would begin using my "good china" rather than just having it sit, prettily on show, in a lighted case. Good china sounds way more grandiose than it is, but I do have some nice things that I rarely use. I have begun with teacups. Each morning's coffee or tea now resides beautifully in some cup of history. This morning I drank from an ornate rose cup that I can't even guess how old it is because I got it from the bounty of my sister-in-law's possessions after her death. I loved her; I love drinking from the cup she once used. To me, using these items that are passed down from generations before is drinking from the family well - pure, sweet, cooling draughts of history.