Thursday, February 24, 2011

TEARS IN A BOTTLE

Have you ever seen anything so fragile? so delicate? as I unwrapped this delicate little bottle that had been wrapped ever so gently by my sweet sister-n-law from it's bubble wrap,it appeared to be what is called a tear bottle,being so delicate the gold isn't showing up too good in all the light

Ps.56:8 ...Thou tellest my wanderings,put thou my tears into thy bottle,are they not in thy book?

In (Isa.38:5 )& (2Kings 20:5 )God hears the prayers & sees the tears of Hezekiah & adds 15 years to his life

here is a good search on the meaning History & use of the tear bottle
http://www.tearcatcher.com/tearbothis.html
Tear Bottle History
The tear bottle tradition has endured for more than 3,000 years. Tear bottles, or lachrymatory, were common in ancient middle Eastern societies. Even today they are still produced in that region. Tear bottles were prevalent in ancient Roman times, when mourners filled small glass vials or cups with tears and placed them in burial tombs as symbols of love and respect. Sometimes women were even paid to cry into "cups", as they walked along the mourning procession. Those crying the loudest and producing the most tears received the most compensation, or so the legend goes. The more anguish and tears produced, the more important and valued the deceased person was perceived to be.


In the Old Testament of the Bible, a reference to collecting tears in a bottle appears in Psalm 56:8 when David prays to God, "Thou tellest my wanderings, put thou my tears in Thy bottle; are they not in Thy Book?" David is refering to the belief that God keeps a record of human pain and suffering and always remembers our sorrows.


Tear bottles reappeared during the Victorian period of the 19th century, when those mourning the loss of loved ones would collect their tears in bottles ornately decorated with silver and pewter. Special stoppers allowed the tears to evaporate. When the tears were gone, the mourning period would end.


In some American Civil War stories, women were said to have cried into tear bottles and saved them until their husbands returned. Their collected tears would show the men how much they were loved and missed.


In current music and literature, tear bottles have once again been romanticized. References to the power of the tear bottle tradition occur in contemporary music videos, novels, and poetry. You can learn more about the history of lachrymatory tear bottles at www.lachrymatory.com

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