Tea Time Tuesday - Don't Hide in the China Cabinet!

It's Tea Time Tuesday again!  Last week, I was so sad after the sudden loss of my dear cat that I just didn't feel up to participating, but I've looked forward to getting back into the fun today as a little "pick me up" in the middle of the week.

Once again I am so thankful for the gracious ladies who host these wonderful tea-themed memes and I am participating in the following tea parties:

Martha's Favorites
Rose Chintz Cottage and Inspirations
The Plumed Pen
Lady Katherine Tea Parlor
Artful Affirmations

Today I am showcasing a special little tea cup that is brand new to my collection:

Isn't it a sweet little cup?  I think it must have been originally a child's toy as it is very tiny.  The little bird on the handle is just so cute and very delicately fashioned.  A truly whimsical little piece!

It was given to me by a very special friend as a birthday gift a few weeks ago.  I have no idea if it has any market value ... the mark on the bottom of the saucer is almost illegible and all that I can read is "hand-painted" and then what looks like half of a symbol of some sort.  But this cup and saucer have great value to me because they were given to me by a dear friend who is going through all kinds of difficult trials right now, yet in the midst of her struggles, she took time to think of me.  

When I look at old pieces of china, it sometimes occurs to me that they are a little bit like us as women!  We can be so delicate and fragile, and yet somehow, we endure the test of time.  Think of all the opportunities that a really old tea cup and saucer would have had to break!  How many times they may have been moved from one building to another!  How many hands have turned them over, some hands frail with arthritis, others full of the klutziness of adolescence.  And yet, these lovely china pieces have endured throughout the years, their exquisite fine details still intact, colours still vibrant, handles still in place.  

And there is a dilemma to be faced with lovely china, isn't there?  If we leave it safe in the china cabinet, surely it is less likely to be broken!  And yet then it will never be enjoyed, it's prettiness will never cheer up another soul who would delight in the pleasure of sipping tea from the delicate cup and admiring the lovely pattern.  And life is like that too ... we can hide ourselves away in the "china cabinet" of life, protecting ourselves from ever being hurt, but then we will never know the joy of sharing our heart with another soul, or reaching out in love to a needy friend.  

So I'm particularly thankful for this sweet little cup and saucer today, because they remind me of a dear friend who hasn't stopped reaching out beyond herself, in spite of the fact that there are days when she probably wishes she could hide away in a corner of a safe china cabinet somewhere.   My prayer for her is that she will make it through this trial without any "chips" or "cracks" and that she will know how very much she is appreciated by her friends.

"The greatest good you can do for another is not just share your riches, 

but to reveal to him, his own." 

-Benjamin Disraeli