Nomi is a handpainted cup with a happy face, but as far as she remembered, she was made with a broken handle. The other cups in the cupboard rack called her, "Nomi Earless". They would often tease her, saying, "Why are you even here?! They don't even put water, juice, or tea in you!"
Nomi felt sad and lonely, staying in a rack where she was ignored. As others came and went, sharing tales of their adventures, Nomi was left behind, feeling useless.
One day, she was put away in a dark cabinet, forgotten for months, just standing still collecting dust. As time passed, Nomi felt unloved and thought the world was unfair.
She wondered what her purpose was, considering her broken handle.
The storage cabinet wasn't opened often, and when it was, Nomi was overlooked. She wished she would just be thrown away, thinking that would be better than being forgotten. She also imagined, she will just end up smashed in a trash bin.
But one day, a woman's hand picked her up.. Nomi panicked, thinking she would finally be thrown away. She trembled with fear, she close her eyes and imagine the worst, but nothing bad happened.
Instead, the woman washed her...dried her...and filled her with water and beautiful flowers from the garden. Nomi couldn't believe what was happening! She felt happy for the first time in her cup life.
The woman's child asked, "Mom, why are you using that broken cup? Do you want me to get you a new vase?"
The kind woman smiled and said, "No, thank you. I've been looking for this cup for a while now. My dear friend and I took a pottery class and made one for ourselves. Both of us were not able to make the handles right, but we finished and painted our masterpiece anyway. Then we exchanged them as souvenirs. That was a fun experience, but we won't be able to do it again, so this cup is very special to me."
Nomi's heart swelled with joy. She was precious to someone!
From that day on, Nomi sat on her owners' desk near the sunny window, filled with fresh garden flowers every day. She watched the sun, clouds, and rain, and caught glimpses of the moon at night.
Nomi realized that even though she was different and imperfect, she was still special and worthy. She was made with a purpose. And as she sat in her new spot, she peacefully smiled as she closed her eyes at night, knowing she was exactly where she belonged.
