This teacup is a special one. My friend Emily gifted it to her bridesmaids when she married, and while I never asked her about why she chose it, I could imagine why she picked it. Her husband has a German last name, and the teacup itself is imported from Germany. (I love little details like that.) And today, when I’m still sick and fighting through this bronchitis or whatever has invaded my white-flag-waving immune system, something I LOVE is hot tea. Organic Echinacea Elder tea. Soothing and supportive.
What else am I loving today? Mostly I’m just loving my family. My husband who ran to the pharmacy at 2am for much-needed remedies. Who came home from work and changed into pjs and snuggled me back to smiling again. My little one who dragged her dolls upstairs to play on the bed with me all day. The two of them who conspired to make me a fresh smoothie for dinner, because a) my husband’s cooking skills only involve turning on the blender and b) my throat “huuurrrttttts” (and I whine to him). I’m loving the opportunity to slow down, spend time and relax. And while I’d prefer to be breathing a bit easier while I do that, it’s impossible not to enjoy the little blessings that are sometimes overlooked.
I discovered a book the other day, written a decade ago and sitting in a secondhand bookstore. I plucked it from the shelf because the title moved me – The Shelter of Each Other. And in doing so, I realized it’s a book from a very interesting author – Dr. Mary Pipher, who also wrote Reviving Ophelia. She’s an anthropologist turned psychologist, and her insights into the family are straightforward and truthful, examining the culture we live in and the impact on family connectedness. I quickly bought it, barely even flipping through it, knowing already that I wanted to read it. Today I spent a few hours doing just that, thinking of how fascinating and complex and complicated is the dynamic of family – and being grateful for the two people who with me, make three.
Today, I just love my family. And a hot cup of tea. (Followed by a cold smoothie.)
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