Tea Time

My love for shabby, chippy, rusty things is no secret.  And it's no secret, either, that most of my family doesn't "get" my obsession with these things.  Especially my father.  He's forever teasing me... "where did you get this old thing?" or "why did you want that piece of 'junk'?"  So, imagine my surprise then, when Dad came back from his trip to Florida with this tin...for me!

My father shopped in an antiques store?  A-mazing!  My father actually paid for a shabby & rusty thing? A-stounding!  Well, you know I cried when Dad gave it to me.  And not just for the obvious reasons.  This sweet little tin is all the more special because Tetley was my mother's favorite brand of tea.

Every time I look at this rusty treasure, so many memories flood my mind...

~ the tea kettle whistling its tune numerous times a day
~ the "tink-tink" sound of the spoon against the teacup as my mother stirred in 2 lumps of sugar & some milk
~ the image of my mother on the phone {long-distance, usually with one of her siblings}, pausing periodically to take a sip of tea
~ remembering how I used to say{as a toddler} "Daddy drinks cow-ee[coffee], Mommy drinks tea" to my Grandma Helen
~ the suitcase packed with boxes of Tetley teabags each time we returned home from a visit back east because for years Mom couldn't find the brand in our local grocery stores
~cherished moments of my mom and her sisters {most often Aunt Pat & Aunt Roberta} sitting at the kitchen table...drinking cups of tea...chatting until the wee hours of the morning

~private "tea parties" between Mom and my daughters when they were little

Today would have been Mom's 66th birthday.  I still miss her so.  But this little tin warms my heart with fond flashbacks.  Oh Dad, thank you for the gift, and in the words of Bob Hope, thanks for the memories.  I love this old shabby tea tin. 

But truly, I love you more.