Honoring parents is so much more that obedience. While that may be a part of honor, it is not all. To honor a person is to respect him or her. It is also to remember, and to hold dear.
Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you. Exodus 20:12
My mother’s birthday is this month. I shared these things on facebook with my family. Many of them commented on their own remembrance of these products. A cousin in Wales still uses HP. A Welsh-Canadian, turned American, still uses Lyle’s and Bird’s and HP.
While these are products, they are part of Hearth Memories. Those are the memories we all share of being in the kitchen while the cooking’s done, of setting the table, of carrying the food out, and of gathering together to eat. They become a part of who we are as humans.
These are reminders, too, of things I’ve learned from my Mom: like G-d works in mysterious ways; like “It turned out nice again.”
Here are three things I remember, and this is my way of honoring the memory of my Mother.
HP is for steaks, but as i don’t/ won’t eat meat, it’s okay on veggies once and awhile. I remember trying to trick Mom by putting A-1 sauce in an empty HP bottle.
i really liked Bird’s custard. Found some in a store, but haven’t tried to make it yet; i’m sure it wouldn’t taste like Mom’s.
Did you know Golden Syrup was originally tapped from palm trees in Sri Lanka. i think it’s just sugar syrup now, though. i still have fond memories of Mom putting it on top a thin slice of toast.
And, no, not everyone knows who their parents are. Sad. Many children are abandoned or abused by their parents, and the parents make no effort to reconcile. Sad. Not all things that parents do are right. And some things are very bad, even if they the parents do mostly good. Yet we are called to honor our parents nonetheless. This can be a hard thing. I feel badly about that. I don’t know how that can be done. But the Lord knows and can work His way within those who seek Him.
Lord Bless, Keep, Shine. . .
JonahzSong 