Month: May 2025

Grandma from the Heart!

Is you grandma still around? Whether they are your real grandma or grandma from the heart, they are all special; we are so blessed to have them!

It’s almost a year now since we last saw Grandma. Our boys grandma from the heart. My husband’s parents died long before we met. But he has a neighbour and a family friend who saw him born and grow into a man and had his own family, back when almost all your neighbours were your friends. This time, the friendship was for life. Grandma said that she adopted my husband and his elder brother into her heart as her own when their mother died.

Like any other kind-hearted and loving person, such as a mother or grandma, you don’t have to be in her bloodline to be a relative. They love you from the bottom of their heart. I am so blessed and thankful that I met Grandma. The bond between them, as mother and son, was heartwarming. It was lovely to see them together, chatting and catching up about life every time they get together. Our two boys also enjoyed having her as their grandma and their knitted jumpers from her. That’s what she does while sitting in her favourite chair, knit jumpers. As for my mum she’s miles and miles away and my dad was long gone too.

Grandma, after celebrating her 101st birthday last year, had a fall, went to a hospital, and was put in a nursing home. She lived by herself for a long time; even at that age, she was as bright and wise as an owl. All she wanted to do was to go home. Realising she would never come home, not long after, she was gone.  Gone!

Missing you, Grandma! This would be our first Mother’s Day without you!

She taught me how to crochet, and that little piece of her memory, a coffee table cover, is still on our coffee table.

Happy Mother’s Day to all mums for real and from the heart!

Thanks to this cartoon remake, AI.

Cuppa of Joy

What is a cuppa? – It is an informal way of saying ‘a cup of’ and often refers to a cup of tea.

Fancy a cuppa? – It is a British and Australian slang, “Would you like a cup of tea?”. In Australia, ‘a cuppa’ means a cup of coffee or tea.

History shows that the cup of tea started in China, where tea leaves accidentally fell into boiling water, and behold, they had a cup of tea. But the phrase ‘cup of tea’ or ‘my cup of tea’ originated in Britain.

My first encounter with the word ‘cuppa’ that stuck in my mind is with a friend, a mum with seven children who, after dropping her kids off at school, would go to a local shopping centre and meet with her friends on a Thursday morning for a ‘cuppa’. At first, I didn’t know what it meant as she tagged me along. We met at the Australian Breastfeeding Association mum group, where we became friends and she became my friend if I needed help with my little one. My eldest was a week old when we met. At the shopping centre, we went to the food court and sat next to a coffee shop, and there, one by one, her friends arrived. Some are already there, ordering a cup of coffee, and some already have some in their hand with a slice of cake. The little ones would have hashbrown or chips from Maccas or McDonald’s.

Why am I writing about this cuppa? My friend told me that if you need a break to breathe, go to the shop and get a cuppa, even just a cuppa! I was very new here in Australia then, and I already had a little one, so life could be a handful, lonely and no relatives to turn to. I will never forget her advice.

But I am not a coffee drinker; my husband is. Now, coffee and tea have become part of my everyday life. Tea was the first thing I was offered when I first came here.

Years later, I found out that one of the things that filled my cup with joy was gardening. I can stay in the garden for hours until my back hurts. I also found that I can plant little plants in my old cups. That’s when I started planting plants in a cup. A few years back, I sold cups with plants, mostly succulents planted in them, for fund-raising for an orphanage we support. Last year, I realized I could put a plant in a plastic disposable cup inside a beautiful cup. That way, the person who can buy or receive the cup has an option to use the cup for a cuppa. I found a hobby of collecting pretty cups from the op shop, filling them with plants, and selling them or giving them away. The cups often fell into the hands of happy faces.

A ‘cup of joy’ was often quoted in our conversation at church.  A ‘cup of joy ‘, is not a literal meaning but a symbol that expresses great happiness or pleasure. The one that fills us with joy is our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. A simple pleasure, but lasting.

Whatever fills your cuppa, coffee or tea, that makes your day, alone or with friends. Hopefully, you will also fill your cup with something lasting. May you have a great day!