Earl Grey with cream

If you are like me, which in some ways I hope you are not! :-) But if in SOME cases you are, you find such peace and warmth and comfort in the old familiar things. The worn comfy slippers you cannot bring yourself to throw away, a good book that you have memorized, a throw that someone made for you that you use everyday when you sit in your favorite old chair and have your time with the Lord. In the old we find a sweet coziness that reminds us of things we have forgotten, of things we wish we could do again, of moments we wish we could squeeze all the joy out of and carry a little bit of it with us throughout our lives, and in a sense, these old things do that for us.

Earl Grey with cream goes back a ways for me. It goes back to my Pastor's wife's Sunday School class, where I sat, at a folding table, half in the kitchen of an old Real Estate building. I loved watching my teacher sip her tea and peruse through her Bible with it's worn homemade cover and tell me things I needed to know. I remember thinking how Motherly she looked to me, looking for acceptance, in her lilac dress with freshly curled black hair. Love this picture. Tea was matronly and feminine.

Then I would enjoy a cup of this tea sneaking sips from hers as she drove me to school with her kiddos. These memories are filled with van breakdowns, prayers to coast into the gas station, and combing our pockets and seats for change to contribute to the "get us all to school and back fund." I loved all the excitement and remember watching the Lord take care of us. Each time we had a difficulty no one was in a panic. There were smiles and tea and I remember these moments fondly. Tea was comforting.

Tea was always a way I could feel at home in a far away place, like college. And meeting my Husband to be, whom just happened to enjoy tea, brought a smile to my face. Here and there I would find Earl Grey, but it wasn't until a few years ago that I began to REALLY enjoy it and look for it, and feel like I HAD to have a cup.


The smell, that so familiar fruit-loop smell, just takes me back. It reminds me that someone invested in me, that someone treated me as their own, gave me their tea to enjoy, brought me reassurance that I still enjoy today. I make my cup while with a group of Ladies who look at me half-cocked and turn their nose up when I add the cream. I smile. I am re-living a bit of the past. I have memories attached to this cup of tea that they will never know. I sip and grin and am content to enjoy this all to myself. I like the fact that they do not know how good this tea is, nor care to know. I want to savor it and save it for my kiddos to enjoy and laugh as I tell them all of the memories I have attached to it.

The kettle is whistling..... Thank you W family, for everything.