“If you get tea ration stamps for me, now I am twelve, I think I should be able to drink tea!”
Wow! Very brave words from a young girl. In retrospect I think it was almost my first act of independence. Poor Mom, (my quiet, uncomplaining Mom) had no idea that she had lost complete control…from then on I would call the shots.
But she did trust me and that trust never failed. I like to think I didn’t add too many grey hairs to her head.
The war years marked all of us, young and old. “Turn out the lights, don’t waste this, don’t waste that, don’t lose your mittens, they’re your last pair, watch out for your sisters etc. etc.” Life was one big responsibility after another.
But back to the tea. My friend Chris and I spent most evenings at her house, drinking tea and doing homework. Her round kitchen table was more familiar to me than my own. I remember that her Dad used to drink his tea from a saucer… he was from Norway.
Tea followed me across Canada to Europe where we were stationed with the RCAF for three years, back to our posting in Ontario to a little town with friendly people. One of my first experiences there was opening the back door to a five year old who looked up and said “Mom says, would you like to come over for a “tup” of tea.” Who could refuse?
Recently I was asked to “pour tea” at a luncheon at the church. I guess my white hair marks me as capable of handling the silver tea pot. After an hour I took a break, a full tea pot can get rather heavy at times.
Tea speaks of different thing to different people and folks like it served in their own particular way. People feel the same way about their faith…each of us experiencing the taste of it in different ways, liking our tea in our own little cups (or churches), a bit afraid of trying a little different variety. I still am not fond of herbal tea but I keep trying it. I am still not fond of the new “praise” music but will admit that many others like it.
At a recent tea-tasting party someone asked the lady beside her if she had tried the tai-tea. “Oh no, she replied I do yoga.” We seniors get confused at times.
God has made us as different as the snowflakes so I guess it is okay with Him if we approach our faith in different ways. I am not nearly as hung up as I once was about our ways and means of approaching our Creator. My clothes fit only me and my faith fits only me. I can share with others my beliefs but it is up to them to choose what fits them.
In Psalm 34:8 it says “Taste and see that the Lord is good.”
And that is what we each need to do.
Photo by Tatyana A. via Flickr, CC 2.0
