I met you 9 years ago….. after a long and stressful flight home from Ethiopia, with my newly adopted daughter. 

Exhausted and scared of the long transition ahead, I was surprised and relieved to see you in the kitchen greeting our arrival.  

Although it was love at first sight, I couldn’t know then how deep that love would grow, or how much we would go through together in the years to come. 

You were there for me while I helped my daughter adjust — through her tears and tears of my own. You were there as we bonded – her learning that she could trust me as a mama, and me learning to not take her initial rejection personally. You were there while I watched lovingly as she slept peacefully beside me — hoping we’d make it through. And… You were there when I knew we had. 

You were there as my family grew and we welcomed another daughter into our home. This one from my own tummy. You were there for the late nights I sat up with her — feeling a mix of both awe and fear at what I’d gotten myself into again. 

You were there while I cuddled with countless children on my worn out couch, reading book after book after book….

You were there as I took time for myself during those busy days running a daycare. The children learning that when you came out, mama was going to sit for a little bit. Because of that, they seemed to hold you with reverence and importance too, and often liked a taste of what you had to offer. 

You were there as I felt the uncomfortable stirrings of change and dissatisfaction in my body. Providing endless cups of tea as I poured myself over books trying to find the answer to what it was I was looking for. You were there when I discovered that the answer was in me. 

You were there as I painfully untied the threads of my marriage. Unsteady and scared, you grounded me through the consistent warmth you offered my hands, and my body. 

You were there as I picked myself up off the floor, and created a new path for me and my children.

You were there for not only me, but for the other women that I welcomed and supported into my home. Sharing stories, tears, laughter and pleasure – they too came to know you as a constant.

Like me, you’ve changed a bit over the years. A broken piece here and there,  marks that won’t wash off — stained from endless memories. I’ve learned to adapt to your age, happily holding you in a different and more gentle way. It seems awkward to those who don’t know you as well,  but I don’t mind. I especially love how your flavour has developed over time. It’s so good that I’m hesitant to go elsewhere. The way you’ve aged has only made you more interesting and beautiful to me, reminding me to look at my own aging that way.  

Last week however, an important part of you broke and, through my tears, I knew that your end was near. For a few days I handled you even more gently, seeking comfort in the warmth you still provided and discussing with my children ways to fix you.  But I knew that it was time to let you go.

So yesterday I bought a beautiful new tea pot. Hand made with love by a local potter. It’s shiny, the handle is in tact and there are no stains. Her tea doesn’t taste like your tea, her edges are too smooth and I keep forgetting that I don’t need to hold her as gently as I held you. I know that I’ll grow to love her, but for now, you’re still holding the space in my heart. 

It’s not goodbye. I will still see you everyday on my shelf, amongst other treasures that I love, reminding me of  all the things I hold dear: family, commitment, perseverance, warmth and unconditional love. Thank you for our beautiful love affair.

Natasha 

**** Special thanks to Mary-Anne Parker for gifting me this tea pot 9 years ago. <3