(Not long ago I was delighted to have a cup of tea at my friend’s home, who by some lovely coincidence has the same china as my Grandma Brubacher and my Aunt Sharon. This cup and saucer looks very similar to one I have sipped tea from many times with my Grandma and my Aunt. Tea tastes so delicious in a cup that is as beautiful as this.)
On the Christmas of 1982, I received two gifts that I have never forgotten. One was a brilliant, emerald green jumper that my Grandma Brubacher had sewn for me, forever cementing in my mind that I should always choose bright green as a color to wear. My cheeks were so rosy when I wore that dress. The other was a small demitasse cup with saucer. That cup and saucer was very special. In theory it was from my cousins Lee and Jay – but I feel pretty confident that my Aunt Zala picked it out…
You have to know something about my family, in particular my mom’s family. Being Canadian means you drink tea. hot tea. Now my dad’s people are iced tea drinkers, but that is a completely different topic… In Ontario, growing up, it seemed that hot tea was the beverage of choice, most often to be drunk from a cup with a saucer. This special Christmas present – a little tea cup, was such an important gift. It was my entrance into being all grown up. Or so I thought.
I remember many Sunday afternoons taking a cup of Red Rose tea with my mom. To this day it is still my favorite. Well, now that I think about it, back then my cup had just a bit of tea with mostly cream and sugar, but it still counts. Over the years I’ve enjoyed tea at different times with my aunts, my sister, my grandma or my cousins. No matter what the occasion, it always becomes extra special when there is fellowship with loved ones, sipping a steamy beverage from a beautiful china cup…
These memories make up such a big part of who I am and where I come from. More than that, they are a big part of where I’m headed. Last week, Emily drank her first cup of tea from that same little cup that my Aunt Zala gave me so many Christmases ago. She turns ten this coming weekend, so I feel sure she believes that she is nearing adulthood….
Tea is probably just a small snapshot of the bigger picture of how I became who I am today. From both my mom and dad’s sides of the family, I come from a deeply rooted spiritual heritage. This group of people I am privileged to call my family are steadfast believers, faithfully giving their lives to His work. All of my grandparents, my aunts and uncles – from across the US and in Canada – my extended family tree is bearing His fruit. And now, those of us in the family from my generation are following in our parents’ footsteps. There is no doubt- I am blessed with a godly heritage.
So, here on this week of thanksgiving, I am pausing to remember that Christmas gift from my childhood. Not because I want to live in the past, rather, I want to pass these blessed gifts on to my own children. With a grateful heart I want to soak in the moments of my own history, so that I know for sure how to make new history with my Emily, Isaac and Mackenzie. I want to give them this spiritual heritage so that they can embrace it and pass it on to the next generation.
Its what my parents did for me. And, its what God asks of us…
from Deuteronomy 6:
1 “Now this is the commandment, and these are the statutes and judgments which the LORD your God has commanded to teach you, that you may observe them in the land which you are crossing over to possess, 2 that you may fear the LORD your God, to keep all His statutes and His commandments which I command you, you and your son and your grandson, all the days of your life, and that your days may be prolonged. 3Therefore hear, O Israel, and be careful to observe it, that it may be well with you, and that you may multiply greatly as the LORD God of your fathers has promised you—‘a land flowing with milk and honey.’
4 “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one! 5 You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.
6 “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
As my family celebrates on this Thanksgiving holiday, I find myself increasingly grateful for my wonderful extended family and for the children that God has given to Michael and I to raise. But I’m also thankful for these commands from Scripture, and overwhelmed by the privilege I have to follow them with my own children, just as my parents did with me.
And you can be sure we will talk about His promises as we linger over our next cup of tea…
daily portion 