Making Memories

Last evening my granddaughters Alissa, age 14,  and Nicole, 10, had a sleepover at Grandma's house.  When my daughter Deb came to pick them up around 11:30, she brought with her some muffins she'd made and said, "I think it's tea time".  Between my comments and hers, a cup of tea turned into a simply delightful, impromptu tea party for the four of us! 

As Deb found the small, shiny royal blue cellophane bag that held her favorite Cherry Rose loose tea, she asked, "Do you have a tea pot big enough to hold our tea?"  I filled my tea kettle with water, set it to boil, and thought for a moment.

I opened a kitchen cabinet door and pointed to the topmost shelf that held my porcelain tea service.  "Let's use my white porcelain tea set with the pink and yellow roses and gold edging."  It was Wawel fine porcelain with the Rose Bouquet pattern made in Poland.

Alissa and Nicole squealed with delight, and my daughter and I found ourselves delighted with our impromptu plans.  We clapped our hands and laughed like we'd found a treasure.

"Grandma, do you have a white tablecloth?" Alissa asked.  She clasped her hands as though she hoped I did.

"I do indeed," I answered, and scurried off to pull my heavy white restaurant-quality square tablecloth from a closet shelf.  Alissa and I made the kitchen table small and covered it with the tablecloth.

Using a chair, Deb climbed up and carefully lifted down the porcelain tea pot with warmer, serving tray, cups, saucers, plates, tiny gold spoons, sugar cubes, gold tongs, sugar bowl and jelly dish.  Deb gently wiped each piece, in case any dust had collected., and Alissa helped set the table.  I went to find some pretty napkins and a tea light candle to put in the warmer under the teapot. After Deb filled the tea ball with the loose tea, closed it, then lowered it into the teapot, I poured in the hot water. 

Her mother instructed Alissa to place the muffins on the serving tray, then added a few slices of my homemade wheat bread.  Seedless raspberry jelly was found in my fridge and Deb filled the crystal jelly dish.  Soon butter found its way to the table, and we were ready for our "high tea".   Alissa ran to raid my scarf drawer to dress up a bit, then decided against it.

After I blessed our tea time, we engaged in conversation in British brogue as Deb served the rich amber- colored, delicate tea.  The sugar bowl was passed, and we helped ourselves to cubes of sugar using the golden tongs, then stirred the tea with our tiny golden spoons.

We held our tea cups between thumb and forfinger and sipped tea most daintily without elbows on the table.  We dabbed our mouths with the tea napkin between sips, broke off bites of cranberry or chocolate chip muffins, and savored tiny bites of homemade bread with butter and raspberry jam.  Alissa fetched a lacy Victorian folding fan I had stashed in a drawer, and we all took turns using it.  And took turns photographing one another with said fan held in proper position. 

We talked of sophisticated subjects, such as the Red Wall series of books Nicole is reading, and the accompanying cookbook.  We engaged in high brow topics of interest such as the squirrels that continuously managed to empty Deb's suet feeder in a tree outside her kitchen window.  We spoke of when my husband should next be deer hunting.  We ventured into the topic of fox hunting on horses, and Alissa informed us she would love to go on such a hunt herself.  Her grandmother was properly shocked!  We talked of our eldest son who would love to have a horse and go riding.  With delightful British tongue, Deb replied that she, too, had always wanted a horse, and perhaps one could pursue the option of boarding a horse at a riding stable in the area, or some such thing.  "Yes, dahling, that would be just loovley!" Deb cooed.

Speaking normally again, Deb looked at Alissa and quoted a beautiful phrase to her from the book Gentle Passages -- guiding your daughter into womanhood by Robin Jones Gunn.  I had given Deb the book when Alissa was about ten years old.  As suggested in the book, Deb presented Alissa with a single fine china tea cup and saucer that was given special meaning.  Today she reminded us of those words she spoke to her daughter as she discussed sexual purity with her that day. "You're God's fine china, set apart for God's special purpose."  (from the Living Bible, 2 Timothy 2:21)

We truly had a treasure today -- a treasure of making memories!

Copyright © 2011 Elaine Beachy