A Brief Lesson on Hospitality

It had been years since the last time I had seen my Aunt Helen. She's 94 now, and greeted us with the same bright eyes and smile I remembered.

In the kitchen, she scooped some Folgers from the freezer into her coffee pot and she directed me to get the creamer. Pointing a finger at the top shelf toward some antique sugar and cream sets, she said, "Get one down dear. I can't reach."

"It's ok Aunt Helen," I said. "No need to make a fuss. I'll just pour it straight into my coffee."

She looked at me (rather up at me, as she has now shrunken in her height to slightly below 5' tall) a bit quizzically. The corner of her mouth raised in a smile.

"Really, I don't need special things," I insisted. "We're family."

Pointing again to the top shelf, she gestured at the small flowered pitcher just beyond her reach, "All the more reason then."