Aunt Rema was the queen of tea parties. Many women of Tallahassee have enjoyed afternoons passing the orange muffins and tea sandwiches, wearing their finest dresses and lovely hats, with Rema. Her great-nieces loved to visit her in the cottage in her sister Zula's backyard, where she always made them feel special, and that there was no where else she would rather be. My sisters and I- and now our girls, and granddaughters- enjoy these special moments when we get out the china and remind ourselves that life is to be savored ( along with the cucumber sandwiches). This past summer, several of my grandchildren were in town at the same time, so we brought out Aunt Rema's violet china, and the last of the pretty paper napkins of their great-grandma Margaret, and enjoyed a special moment together. Making the moment even more memorable, the girls donned the hats and scarves that had been passed down from their great-great Aunt Rema. The gloves were quickly set aside, but the large hat boxes, from some of Tallahassee's finest hat shops, were thoroughly explored for the entire evening, and again the following day. The boys did not feel it was quite fair that they were being left out of this culinary feast, so with a little arm twisting, enjoyed a manly brunch in the adjacent dining room (and later served as handsome escorts for our lovely ladies).One of the many lessons I learned from Aunt Rema was that it wasn't about the tea, or the food (though all would agree her food was second to none). It was about relationships. It was, and is, about letting the people in your lives know they are worthy of the good china, and they are worth setting aside two hours of your day to listen to, and learn from.
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