Tres Floreros Mexicanos

Tres floreros Mexicanos sit on the top shelf of my wooden desk hutch. They’re simple, not particularly beautiful or memorable, but they hold so many memories that I’ve never quite been able to rid myself of them.  If I didn’t point them out to you, you probably wouldn’t even realize they were there because they don’t stand out among the rest of my colorful artwork in my room. But nonetheless, I will always pull them off their shelf and show them to you if it’s your first time visiting my space because I love them that much.

These beautiful artwork pieces sit in a row between my stuffed Koala and Cambodian slingshot on top of my desk hutch in my bedroom--three light brown pottery floreros, each about the size of my palm.  Each one holds a unique black Sharpie inscription.  The ones one on either side say “Taqueria Maxitablita”, the left one also says “Feliz Cumpleanos”, and the middle vase says “Felicidades”.  Each one is also dated September 11, 2012.  The three vases are all different shapes as well.  The left is shaped like a small iced tea pitcher, wider at the bottom with a small handle on the left side.  The middle one has a handle on top and looks like a gourd, full and round on the bottom with a narrow top.  The one on the right is identical to the middle one but without the handle.  Each vase is unique, but they fit together like a perfect trio.  

I received them on my sixteenth birthday from my favorite taqueria in Oaxaca, Maxitablita.  Every “Taco Tuesday,” my family met with other American missionaries in Oaxaca to enjoy English fellowship and the best tacos on this earth (I still have dreams about the alambre mixto with the warm corn tortillas and a Pepsi in a glass bottle).  Our minds got a chance to relax and unwind after difficult weeks of ministry, and our laughter blended with that of our Mexican friends at the tables around us.  Honestly, what made Maxitablita so great wasn’t even the tacos (although don’t get me wrong, those were amazing), but the atmosphere of two cultures coming together in one place.  I loved it, and I miss it every day.

For my birthday I could choose any restaurant I wanted, and without hesitation I chose Maxitablita.  Along with some close friends, we piled in and sat on the little wooden stools around the bright orange tables.  Small, cream-colored bowls in the middle of the table held guacamole, pico de gallo, chipotle salsa, and habanero salsa.  When the taqueros realized it was my birthday, they gave me the tres floreros that continue to sit on my shelf today.  They probably didn’t realize how special that moment was to me, or that I would make every effort to take these little vases with me everywhere I went, but to this day I keep them to remind me of the comfort I felt in their taqueria every week.  

Every time I see them on my shelf, they remind me to pray for the missionaries still in Oaxaca and for the Oaxaqueños who don’t know Jesus yet.  They’re not large enough to hold flowers or I or the most eye-catching of artwork, but to me they’re special.  Oaxaca and Maxitablita will always hold a special place in my heart, and these three brown vases evoke memories of a childhood full of tacos and joy that I never want to forget.  No matter what my house looks like or where I live in the future, I will always make a little shelf space for my tres floreros Mexicanos.