In the story of Exodus in the Bible the people of Israel are promised that they will come to a land flowing with milk and honey. The phrase has come to be interpreted as a promise of a land that is rich and abundant where the people will live with joy. In other ancient literature, milk is sometimes a symbol of fertility and the promise of new generations of families. Honey is a symbol of delight and pleasure. I think of that promise nearly every day because I have a habit of preparing myself a cup of chai tea with a bit of steamed milk and some honey for sweetener nearly every day. I used to get up and make coffee first thing upon rising, but a few years ago a concern over an irregular heart rhythm and a conversation with my doctor about what lifestyle choices I could make to help my overall health resulted in a decision to cut back on caffeine. I found a decaffeinated Masala Chai that I enjoy and instead of drinking several cups, as was my habit with coffee, I prepare a single cup which I sip and enjoy after I have finished my breakfast as I begin my work for the day. Some days I drink the tea quickly. Other days I’m slower to consume it. Yesterday, I got busy as soon as I arrived at the church and more than half of my tea sat in the cup and I didn’t get to it until nearly 2 pm. It is a good thing that I have a double walled stainless steel cup that keeps its contents warm.

There is something about the milk in the tea that enhances the flavor and perhaps softens the impact of the cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, cloves and star anise. Honey adds just the right amount of sweetness. I associate hone with health as well. As a young man I received desensitization treatment for allergies and after a long period of allergy injections, my allergist advised me that a moderate amount of local honey might continue the desensitization process. It didn’t take much of a recommendation and I started using honey as a sweetener and have enjoyed it ever since. Not long ago I joined the Mount Baker Beekeepers association. As I learn more about the process of caring for honey bees in anticipation of one day becoming the steward of a colony of bees, I am even more appreciative of the sweetness of the nectar.

A little sweetness in life is a pleasure and I understand how the ancients associated joy with honey. Another sweetener that has a place in our usual stock of staple foods is maple syrup. When we managed our church camp we were very careful to control costs and to produce food for our campers without incurring excessive expanses. As a result we made breakfast syrup out of brown sugar and water with a bit of maple flavoring added. It seemed to satisfy the campers, but it didn’t come close in flavor and richness to genuine pure maple syrup. These days, with the benefit of a retirement budget that is not quite as tight as some other phases of our lives, I indulge in the luxury of a small bottle of pure maple syrup for occasional pancake breakfasts, usually when our grandchildren are sleeping over at our house or when we are camping with family.

There are plenty of people who measure the economy in part by comparing the price of gas to other times. I, too, have noticed that the price of fuel is higher than it was a few years ago. Fortunately for us, our recent moves have resulted in a decrease in our driving, so the high prices don’t impact us as much as they did when we were doing a lot more driving. Since high prices tend to affect my purchase decisions, I’ve been thinking that the high price of fuel might be a good thing for me, as it forces me to think carefully about how much I drive. So far, however, I don’t think it has had much of an effect on my lifestyle. The high prices have, however, gotten the attention of politicians who are constantly striving to gain popularity with voters. Under pressure from several advisors, our President has decided to tap the nation’s strategic fuel reserves as a way of increasing the supply of fuel and thereby gaining some drop in prices. It is a tactic that presidents have used before with some success.

All of the attention given to fuel prices and strategic fuel reserves might have diverted attention to some people from another shortage that recently caused a national leader to order a draw down of strategic national reserves. In case you missed it, the Canadian federation that controls nearly three quarters of the world’s maple syrup production recently announced that it will release about 50 million pounds of maple syrup from its emergency stockpile - almost half of the reserve - to keep the rich sweetener flowing to breakfast tables around the world. One doesn’t normally think of Québécois as folk who are willing to sacrifice their savings for the benefit of others, but this sacrifice of the reserves for the sake of a stable syrup price seems to demonstrate a remarkable generosity. I suppose you could raise the question of why the price of maple syrup on the world market is controlled by a Quebec cartel in the first place, but I’m no economist and often don’t understand questions about finances that being with the word, “why.”

Hélène Normandin, spokeswoman for the federation sometimes referred to as the OPEC of maple syrup, recently said, “The pandemic helped in our case because we’re seeing people cook more at home and use more local products.” However, I am thinking that if the price of the bottle of sweetener on the shelves of my local grocery store is controlled by a cartel in Quebec, it hardly qualifies as a local product.

So I guess I’ll use my maple syrup sparingly and stick to honey as my primary sweetener. I may not have discovered a land flowing with milk and honey, but I do savor a regular cup of tea flavored with the promised blessings.

Life is good. I am blessed.