Left: Some of
Deb’s collection
of amber and
Vaseline glass.
Below: One of
the teacups
Deb received
from her mom,
brimming over
with memories
of the fun times
the duo shared.The hunt was exciting, but getting the best
price possible was the biggest kick of all for
Mom. Telling me how she was able to talk
the vendor down never failed to bring a
twinkle to her eyes. What I loved most was
hearing the back stories Mom would come
up with whenever she added a new cup
to the collection: one belonged to a
Japanese princess and was used
to sip her morning tea, another
was from a set belonging to a
young English lady of nobil-
ity, which was only used at
garden parties, and so on. Her
tales were better entertain-
ment than anything on TV
or in most books for that
matter! Sometimes, she
would come home and
say it was my turn to
come up with the back
story. After straining
my imagination for a
while, we would go out
on the deck, cup in hand,
and I would tell her my story.
She would laugh, clap her hands and tell
me how wonderful it was. I loved these
moments with her and cherish them so
much now that she is gone.
She collected six cups for me in all, and
I still have four. When one of them was
broken, it was in her possession at the
time; she called with a teary voice to tell
me the news and say that she was so very
sorry. When I look at the remaining cups
now, I remember all of the fun times we
had together, laughing and teasing each
other about who had the best story. It was
such a wonderful way to spend time with
my mom.
Whatever a new item might happen
to be—amber, Vaseline glass or a tea-
cup—she would hold it up, look at it in the
sunlight, admire the work and smile her
special smile. She once told me, “Some
people would think it is just a silly little
thing to have, but I think it was some-
thing that brought happiness to someone
and now we are the lucky ones to be happy
with it.” Now, when I find a new piece, I
always look at it and wonder: Where did
you come from? Who held you? Who
made you what you are? Then, finally,
I find the best place for it to sit and say,
“Welcome Home.” ■43