Happy Camper

Last week I declared March as Mug Month. If you missed that post, you can read about it by clicking HERE.

Like many of my readers, I have a large collection of coffee mugs. Several of them I’ve received as gifts, a few I’ve purchased. Some mugs I’ve received as part of a business or conference promotion. Then there are those mugs popping up from who knows where. They simply seem to appear in my cabinet. As a result, I must cull through them from time-to-time, donating the excess to my local charity store.

Of the many mugs I have, I actually use only a few. Favorites. Ones that hold more than coffee. They hold memories. 

For today’s post, I selected one such mug. I call it one of my Adventure Mugs. 

Happy Camper

The summer before my husband died in a bicycle accident, we purchased a fifth wheel camper. We planned to spend a few months in the camper in Naples, Florida during the winter of 2014-2015. Tom left this earth three days before our scheduled departure for the Sunshine State. 

Over the next year I had to make decisions about…everything. I knew how to drive Tom’s truck, but I wouldn’t dare attempt to pull the camper. I joked I could only drive it if I never had to make a right turn or back up. Tom’s brother bought the truck and I attempted to sell the camper. With no luck. 

I did the only thing I know to do with decisions in my life. I prayed about it. 

A little over a year later, I located a beautiful seasonal campground about an hour away from home. A driver took my camper to Pine Cove Campground. Once the  campground opened in the spring, I found the camper to be an ideal writing retreat. My fellow campers were fun and the owners of the campground worked hard to make it a safe and enjoyable experience. 

Furthermore, I knew Tom would have loved it.

My youngest daughter gave me two “Happy Camper” mugs. Hot coffee on crisp mornings with the sounds of others stirring about? Perfect. Restful. Camping by myself was something totally different from anything I had ever done. It was my first adventure without Tom. Through that experience I learned to be self-reliant. I was totally independent yet never really alone.

I no longer have the camper. I still have the mug. It holds memories of a season in my life when walks in the woods and breakfast with the birds chirping in the trees brought healing to my heart.  

  

What is the story behind your favorite mug? Send me a picture and a brief description of why you treasure that particular mug. I’ll be sharing those stories in a post here and putting the names of everyone who shares in a hat. One lucky winner will receive a $10 gift card from Amazon.