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View Full Version : the tarnished cup



Mich
6th September 2007, 09:34
After hours of searching through dusty cartons in the basement and brushing aside spider webs and dust bunnies, Kelly found the box that contained the baby cup that had been her grandmother’s. it was wrapped in yellowed newspaper from many years earlier, as evidenced by the dates on the paper. Kelly removed the wrapping and discovered that the cup was now blackened by tarnish. Frustrated and disappointed, she stuffed the cup back into the carton.

That night she was unable to sleep. After an hour of tossing and turning, it finally occurred to her that she was uneasy because her neglect and lack of concern had allowed the cup to deteriorate. She ran downstairs to the basement to retrieve it and brought it back up to the kitchen.

Finding some silver polish, she gently cleaned the cup until the beautiful silver was again revealed. With much work and love, the cup was restored to its original beauty.

Often our relationships with family and friends become tarnished; they deteriorate under layers of hurt feelings, anger and misunderstanding. Many times the deterioration begins with a comment made in the heat of the moment or under the strain of another problem entirely. If the air isn’t cleared immediately, the relationship becomes tarnished.

When we put work and love into our relationships, they can be restored. Then we rediscover the beauty that lies underneath the tarnish and realize that it had been there all along.