The most beautiful glassware I had ever seen belonged to my husband’s grandmother who went by the name “Tea Party.” I know you smiled at hearing her name. We do too. She wanted to be called “Grandmother”, but when the oldest grandson refused to eat, she concocted a tea party with all the boy cousins who were totally into it because they got cookies with their tea. And Luther would eat. Sneaky, huh? Well, “Tea Party” arose from that, much to her outward chagrin. I think she liked it. She was a tough woman but defined by Proverbs 31. She was highly educated, especially for her generation. She ran businesses, kept a home and 3 children, honored her husband, and was well-traveled. At a towering 4’11”, she was strong and determined.

The stunning glassware I could never take my eyes off when I was at her house was acquired from a trip to Florence, Italy, in the early 1950s. The story is that while the shop was wrapping her purchase for her trip back to America, she realized her train was departing soon. She hailed a porter and told him to run and “tell them” to hold the train. Not surprising to anyone who knows her, they did.

Shortly before her heaven-going, we visited her in her historic home she had been born in 94 years prior. Once you arrived, usually after dinner, you were told to sit and rest from your trip. Being offered lemonade and cookies, we sat in the dining room and gave details of the 5-hour drive. As if a clock went off in her head, after an hour, almost to the minute, we were sent to “settle in”. We would meet back in the den for an hour of Angela Lansbury in Murder She Wrote before being told that “our eyes were fixed” so it was time to retire to bed.  At 9:00 pm. Oddly, at her house, whether it was your regular bedtime or not, you always were ready for bed at 9:00. And you would sleep gooood – something about that house.

Before heading to bed that particular evening, Tea Party pulled me aside and pointed to a packed and taped fresh moving box, one that had been purchased, not pulled out of the garage or attic. Unusual for this frugal woman. I was informed that this would go with me when we left for home. Then she spun on her heel and headed to bed.

The next morning, in the dining room, I went to the display cabinet to oogle the pretty glass punchbowl set. It was gone!! A catch caught in my throat, and I thought she had been robbed because surely she wouldn’t get rid of such a special thing!

I turned around to see Tea Party with a certain kind of grin on her face. She got that look from time to time. With her lips together, her nose would scrunch and her eyes would sparkle. You knew she knew something you didn’t and was pleased with herself.

It took about .5 seconds for me to figure out the grin. The box! My mouth dropped open and she started to cackle. Gift-giving and receiving was not her love language. She was a loving woman but in a buttoned-up kind of way. She stated matter-of-factly, “I don’t need it anymore.” The lump in my throat kept me from saying anything sappy, for which I knew she was grateful. Not only had I been given a beautiful thing, but it also represented this tough soul, who had weathered lots of tragedy and triumph.

Tea Party always placed the glory for her life’s journey on Jesus. She could recite the entire book of Proverbs, and she lived it. When all 5 of her crazy grandsons visited her in the summer AT THE SAME TIME, every morning, after their breakfast and spoonful of Milk of Magnesia, she had them read 3 Psalms. When they said they didn’t understand them, she told them that the more they got to know the language of the Bible, the more they would understand.

In her house, she had a winding staircase. She had every member of her family assigned to a stair, and as she came down in the morning, and went up at night, she stopped on each stair and prayed for each member. When you visited, she would go right to your stair and show you. Then she would say her prayer for you right then, out loud, so that you would know how well you were covered.

It’s fun to have something special to remember treasured people in your life. It’s even better when the remembrance challenges you to live in a way that honors them. When I see the punchbowl, I am challenged:

     a. to be diligent at everything
     b. to know the language of the Bible so that I can hear Jesus better
     c. to memorize scripture so it can minister to me and others
     → in the calamities as well as the conquests – to always give glory to God!