As long as I can remember, tea time has been a real thing – dating back to my earliest memory around the age of 5 when my Mamaw Birdie would “sneak” a cup of tea just for me. Thankfully, she never put those horrid Saccharin tablets in mine! but it was our time, tea for two.  My first tea set was from her –  a kiddie set made of ceramic in a small gift box for Christmas. From that moment, I was a tea drinker and not much has changed.

One of my memories of my Daddy revolves around tea. He was a manly guy, but still had tea parties with me. A green-plaid table and chairs in our living room where we had pretend tea and my imaginary friend as one of our guest. I’m sure the party didn’t last long, but it was long enough for me to have the memory.

I would move on to drinking coffee with my Momma, but we still had tea time. She always remarked that we may not have been “royals” but we were “rich” in the things that counted. She always said she had rich tastes…but a poor pocketbook!

Now I can tell you that our tea time was nothing similar to the “royals” but we had our own routine. During the summer months of no school, it went something like this……

“Denise, it’s almost time for our “stories” so “polly better put the kettle on!” It was 3pm and we had finished our chores for the day. That gave us 1 hour before Dad came in from his job at the mines and then we would start dinner.

Our “stories” always consisted of General Hospital Soap Opera. We were faithful followers of “Luke and Laura” and we anticipated this time of day. So Momma would prepare the tea, and bring in the tray that she had for as many years as I could remember. It was a Silver Tea Set with a creamer and sugar bowl. We used our own teacups and saucers that come with her regular set of everyday dishes.

We were fancy. It was our Tea for Two… and I miss it even to this day.

As adults, we would still reminisce about our summer tea parties and chuckle because we thought we were living large. Absolutely Momma.. larger than life.

As years would pass on and my daughter came along, she made sure that tea time was a part of their time together. It was more elaborate than the ones we had, because you know, it was the grandchild. Place settings with flowers, tea cakes, a few stuffed bears as extra guests, and of course.. Mommas newest tea set she bought from her favorite Chinese restaurant. It was nice!

Oh, and don’t forget the hats!

These are some of our favorite memories of my Momma and her Mamaw. Priceless. This set was left to my daughter at Mommas request. Always take care of it, but promise you won’t stick it in a closet somewhere.. I want you to use it and enjoy it when I am no longer here.

Since my Momma left this earth in 2006, Hannah and I have used this tea set to celebrate Mommas birthday. Every. Single. Year. It helps to remember the treasured times we had together. Tea for Two is forever a part of us.

This was our last photo together….. so it’s the one we use for our celebration.

I have since looked for an original Silver tea set like the one she and I used. I have no clue where it disappeared to. Recently, I was able to find one very close to hers at a thrift shop – I was so excited to find one.  I’m still searching for the round tray and hope to eventually come across one to complete it. It is still a work in progress getting it cleaned up and polished and I have added it to my treasures.

I still have tea time, normally at the end of the evening when I can sit quietly and sip. It’s not just tea, it is inhaling memories and the warmth of my Mommas time she intentionally spent with me. After all, that’s what we do when our earthly anchors are no longer here, we relish the memories and the things that remind us of our tapestry, our little corners of love. Treasures. You can learn a whole lot from tea!

“A cup of tea is a cup of peace”

“A woman is like a tea bag – you can’t tell how strong she is until you put her in hot water”

“Would you like an adventure now, or shall we have our tea first?”

“Life is like tea……It’s all in how you make it”

Here are some of my favorite teacups and saucers….