Labor of Love

When Mom was getting ready to leave her condo and move in with us one of her biggest concerns was her precious tea pot collection.  A nice cup of tea was an essential part of my mother’s life—always with a good tea pot and a beautiful china cup and saucer. On her  trips home to to Ireland she often traveled back to Michigan with a new teapot. The pots were usually gifts, a family heirloom from an ancient auntie. Mom’s preferred mode of transport was to carry it on her lap, wrapped in a linen tea towel. She had a lovely collection of Waterford Crystal and a few nice pieces of jewelry, but it was her teapot collection that was most dear.

To ease her transition to our home, my husband Jim offered to build a special shelf circling our dining room. This beautiful shelf was a perfect showcase for her porcelain stash—they were safe and visible and she could admire them everyday. Some of the pots belonged to her mother and are now well over 100 years old. A cup of tea was a ritual that my mother enjoyed right up to her final days. After a long hard day of shopping as soon as we turned onto our road my mother would exclaim “I could murder a cup of tea!” She found almost all restaurant tea to be unacceptable – they typically served luke warm (never boiling) water, a tea bag in a paper envelope and a jug of half and half (a cardinal sin – milk only, never cream). She would always drink coffee when we were out rather than go through the blasphemy of restaurant tea.

IMG_0078 So on this chilly fall afternoon I got my stepladder out and took each teapot from its perch, ever so gently. I washed and dried and placed them back in their spots of honor. I thought I had dried them well but when I carried the last one up the ladder I saw a glistening drop on the lid. I wiped my eyes and made myself a really decent cup of tea.

13 thoughts on “Labor of Love”

  1. Boy, this is sweet. (Lovely that your hubby built a special shelf for your mom’s collection.) And I love your mom’s expression, “I could murder a cup of tea!”

    1. Thank you Joanne. It’s hard to believe she’s been gone 6 years. These stories keep her close to me. I’m glad you enjoy them. There’s more to come!

  2. I had countless cups of tea with my mother in belleek or china. I can so relate to your story! A healing cupa…Thanks for sharing it Breeda!

  3. Dee Dixon-Stagner

    Beautiful. The love between you and your Mother – special . . .

    Thank you for sharing it with us.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Subscribe to stay connected with Breeda's news, tips, and events

Please enter your name.
Please enter a valid email address.
Something went wrong. Please check your entries and try again.
Scroll to Top