This morning, I was drinking Verdant’s Earl of Anxi Tea…The one that has Frankincense in it.
As I was drinking my tea, tasting the tea leaves…sweet and juicy, smooth with a light citrus from the goji berry and orange…then the floral jasmine and oolong.
In the next moment I was transported by the frankincense…the exotic and spiritual. I am used to the scent of incense in Church. To drink in the scent is different though. Something like the difference between hearing about prayer and praying. The scent and the taste are different but the same, only the experience of drinking the incense is intense. Holy somehow.
I sat sipping my tea with the evocative ancient, fragrant taste. I was thinking about my son and how much I love him and how glad I am that he cares for others, especially the poor. For me, as his mother, this truly is a blessing. This morning the tea and the memories were an offering, a prayer of thanksgiving.
I wrote a story on my blog about my son Aaron and Christmas
called Uncle Aarons Santa Sack. It’s a nice story. I’ll begin it here:
I’ve written stories about my grandchildren and my daughter because I see them more often and they live close to me here in Colorado.
However, I haven’t written much about my firstborn…my son Aaron.
Aaron and I are alike in many ways. Creative, artistic, stubborn, smart and funny. We’re both tall, and have the same small eyes and Highland Scot’s nose (not small). Boggle is our game (or any word game), and old movies!
Aaron is smarter than I am though. He has ADD ADHD and life has been very challenging for him. He has been brave, never giving up and is successfully running his own small business.
One Christmas, when all of us were still living in Northern California, Uncle Aaron arrived on Christmas Day at sister Annalisa’s cabin home which was in the Redwood’s. I was already there, along with my brother Steve, his wife Kathy and my Nieces.
It was a big crowd! My daughters cabin was small and we had at least 20 people jammed inside for dinner.
Before opening presents, we ate!
First, big platters of ribs were passed around! Anna’s homemade french bread, potato salad and greens, all sorts of side dishes…and more ribs. There were those children who always put olives on all their finger tips. Everyone was noisy, laughing and happy.
Rolls of paper towels were passed around for cleaning BBQ sauce from faces and fingers. Groans and smiles at dessert cakes and pies.
The living and dining room had been converted into a combined eating area with several long tables. When dinner was finished, the chairs were removed and formed into a circle to view the children (who were seated on the carpet) opening gifts and for settling with coffee, tea and beer. (The children had already opened family gifts in the morning, so this was an opening of gifts from grandma and went quickly!)
When the children were done with the gifts and were about ready to go off and play…Uncle Aaron got up from his spot on the couch, put toddler Micah down and said, “Not so fast!”
“What do you mean?” his sister asked.
“We’re not done with the gifts yet, I have something else to do. Wait right here!” he said.
There’s a picture there with the sack too.
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I love how you write about this tea.
Thank you Michelle. David Duckler and I had a long conversation about incense while I was forming my blog with him and before this tea was born. I discussed how incense in the name of my blog was from the phrase…“let my prayer arise in your sight as incense and let the lifting up of my hands be an evening sacrifice”. How a life should be like incense.
The origin of incense is so ancient, I like to believe that it holds many secrets of the world, that’s why its scent feels so mysterious and meditative to me…
Thanks for sharing that beautiful story, you brought back many holiday childhood memories of mine… As for Santa’s sack, my favorite is the one decribed at the end of your blog’s review…wow, you have many good reasons to be a proud mother… Aaron’s generosity is a blessing.
People in general feel more compelled to give around the holidays, that’s when as a society we feel more responsible for the well being of the less fortunates, which allows many folks to have decent food to put on the table on such a critical time of the year. But most of us forget that a year has 365 days, do the math, one day of generosity is just not enough… I know we do what we can, and that’s ok, but Luckily, there are also people like your son to fill the gaps…
Bonnie, please thank Aaron on my behalf :-)
What a wonderful son you have. Such a good story.
What a wonderful heart-warming story. It sounds like you have a great family. Aaron has learned young what a blessing it is to be a giver. I volunteer at our local food co-op. Other than the director, it is an all-volunteer effort to help the needy in my community. It is supported by area churches. I interview clients and we give them food and help with utilities. Anyway, I always leave the co-op in a better mood than I came in with because the clients I have interviewed have all been a pleasure to work with, and it feels good to be a part of such a good cause. Thanks for such a great story. I’ll want to check out your blog regularly in the future.
Donna, I just knew it! The people on Steepster are the BEST! Love hearing how so many like you are caring about others! I’ve been on the giving end and on the receiving end of charity. Thank you for what you so lovingly do for others!
Bonnie, I’m blessed to know a lot of people Iwho love to serve others, whether it’s here in my community, or when disaster hits elsewhere, and also by helping people in need by traveling to places like Costa Rica, Africa, etc. One cool example is a guy I know and his buddy leave their wives for a couple weeks every summer and take a road trip-this year it was to the West Coast. Their goal is to do at least 2 good deeds per day. I could write a book on the wonderful things I’ve seen people do. When you’ve been on the receiving end, it makes you want to give back. In my case, 20 years ago when my twins newborns, I had a rare cancer for which I had to go through 2 surgeries and radiation. People from my church, unasked, brought meals practically every day for a year, came and helped with my 3 yr old, hired someone to take care of the babies when I was at treatments, so my husband could keep working. It meant more to me than words can express. It is definitely much better to give than receive. Forgive me if I’ve gone on too long! You don’t see these stories about the good things people do in the news unfortunately.
I think that’s wonderful! Maybe this is where Hallmark Stories are born?! Ya Think?! Hooray for you the survivor!
Thank you both for these wonderful stories of compassion & generosity! I love this place! :)
Me too Terri! You all are great people!
I love how you write about this tea.
Thank you Michelle. David Duckler and I had a long conversation about incense while I was forming my blog with him and before this tea was born. I discussed how incense in the name of my blog was from the phrase…“let my prayer arise in your sight as incense and let the lifting up of my hands be an evening sacrifice”. How a life should be like incense.
The origin of incense is so ancient, I like to believe that it holds many secrets of the world, that’s why its scent feels so mysterious and meditative to me…
Thanks for sharing that beautiful story, you brought back many holiday childhood memories of mine… As for Santa’s sack, my favorite is the one decribed at the end of your blog’s review…wow, you have many good reasons to be a proud mother… Aaron’s generosity is a blessing.
People in general feel more compelled to give around the holidays, that’s when as a society we feel more responsible for the well being of the less fortunates, which allows many folks to have decent food to put on the table on such a critical time of the year. But most of us forget that a year has 365 days, do the math, one day of generosity is just not enough… I know we do what we can, and that’s ok, but Luckily, there are also people like your son to fill the gaps…
Bonnie, please thank Aaron on my behalf :-)
What a wonderful son you have. Such a good story.
What a wonderful heart-warming story. It sounds like you have a great family. Aaron has learned young what a blessing it is to be a giver. I volunteer at our local food co-op. Other than the director, it is an all-volunteer effort to help the needy in my community. It is supported by area churches. I interview clients and we give them food and help with utilities. Anyway, I always leave the co-op in a better mood than I came in with because the clients I have interviewed have all been a pleasure to work with, and it feels good to be a part of such a good cause. Thanks for such a great story. I’ll want to check out your blog regularly in the future.
Donna, I just knew it! The people on Steepster are the BEST! Love hearing how so many like you are caring about others! I’ve been on the giving end and on the receiving end of charity. Thank you for what you so lovingly do for others!
Bonnie, I’m blessed to know a lot of people Iwho love to serve others, whether it’s here in my community, or when disaster hits elsewhere, and also by helping people in need by traveling to places like Costa Rica, Africa, etc. One cool example is a guy I know and his buddy leave their wives for a couple weeks every summer and take a road trip-this year it was to the West Coast. Their goal is to do at least 2 good deeds per day. I could write a book on the wonderful things I’ve seen people do. When you’ve been on the receiving end, it makes you want to give back. In my case, 20 years ago when my twins newborns, I had a rare cancer for which I had to go through 2 surgeries and radiation. People from my church, unasked, brought meals practically every day for a year, came and helped with my 3 yr old, hired someone to take care of the babies when I was at treatments, so my husband could keep working. It meant more to me than words can express. It is definitely much better to give than receive. Forgive me if I’ve gone on too long! You don’t see these stories about the good things people do in the news unfortunately.
I think that’s wonderful! Maybe this is where Hallmark Stories are born?! Ya Think?! Hooray for you the survivor!
Thank you both for these wonderful stories of compassion & generosity! I love this place! :)
Me too Terri! You all are great people!