In a World of Imagination

Recently on Netflix I watch Barbra, a new concert, where she 

sang "In a World of Imagination".

Just that phrase captured my thoughts and I took a look at

my child's heart.

What captures your child's heart with imagination?

Is it the twinkle lights of Christmas?

 Or fish flying by?

 Maybe it is a little monkey sitting there with you?

 Or being so small you can sit under one of these

to protect you from the sun and sip your tea?

 Or we could have a tea party with our teddy?

This teddy bear picnic shows up in my book, Tea with Lily.

 Or run, laugh, and share secrets with a friend?

I have even imagined dancing here with the fairies.

What does your child's heart tell you?

A Gift to You

I recently came across the following and thought the words were too good not to share.  Enjoy and take this gift from me to you.

The Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh teaches this wisdom through the ceremony and meditation of tea (a Buddhist parallel to the Christian Eucharist):

You must be completely awake in the present to enjoy the tea.
Only in the awareness of the present, can your hands feel the pleasant warmth of the cup.
Only in the present, can you savor the aroma, taste the sweetness, appreciate the delicacy.
If you are ruminating about the past, or worrying about the future, you will completely miss the experience of enjoying the cup of tea.
You will look down at the cup, and the tea will be gone.
Life is like that.
If you are not fully present, you will look around and it will be gone.
You will have missed the feel, the aroma, the delicacy and beauty of life.
It will seem to be speeding past you. The past is finished.
Learn from it and let it go.
The future is not even here yet. Plan for it, but do not waste your time worrying about it.
Worrying is worthless.
When you stop ruminating about what has already happened, when you stop worrying about what might never happen, then you will be in the present moment.
Then you will begin to experience joy in life.  

The picture above shows gifts from friends:  A teacup, tray, and 2 teapots.

Have a very special day, dear friends. 

Today I am linking to Bernideen: http://blog.bernideens.com/

Walk with Me - Chrysanthemums

November is Chrysanthemum month at the Lan Su Chinese Gardens

here in Portland, Oregon.

So a walk among the flowers was called for.

I almost missed it, whew!

So glad I made it for a walk in the gardens.

They were sooooo beautiful!

Though you don't see many people in my pictures

you can see their shadows here.

There was an abundance of flowers and people

enjoying a rare sunny day in November.

Oh the colors!

There were colors to dance in my heart and eyes.

Then in this building there was a flower arranging

class happening. I was in love with the arrangement below.

Do you love chrysanthemums?

It is like the last fling of color before

we settle in to Winter.

Even my garden is shining with "mums".

Happy Mumday!

Thanks for walking with me!

Glitter and Shine!

I

It's time, I say!

Put your pretty dancing dress on and celebrate.

Thanksgiving marks the beginning for me.

Let's dance, twirl, and tap our toes.

Let the sparkly glitter enchant us.

Lift our voices in happy songs.

Prepare for the season of Christmas and the New Year.

Take it all in, fill your hearts with JOY.

Let your reflection smile on each other.

Celebrate with JOY.

Put that top hat on and dance.

Glitter and Shine abound.

Flowers steal the show.

For it is Christmas delights at the 

Monticello Antique Mall here in Portland, OR.

A time when my camera almost hops from my hands

and feels the happiness and delight of the season.

Sparkles tucked in boxes

and hanging from the trees.

Bottle brush trees glitter everywhere.

And of course Santa would bring a large box of tea.

So hang an ornament, dance with delight,

and sing to your hearts for full JOY.

Savor each day of the holidays.

Today my sparkles will make an appearance

and my heart will be full of the season of JOY.

I hope your Thanksgiving was a Delight

and preparations for the celebration of Christmas are filling your hearts.

Happy Weekend, dear friends!

Colors of Autumn and Thankful Day

 The pies are in the oven.

Time to savor the colors of Autumn.

 The golds and the reds delight my very heart.

 The gardenhouse has been put to bed.

 Persimmons show their color on the bare tree.

 Still some colors in the garden.

 A few roses here and there.

 Oh I love the colors of Autumn.

They prepare my heart for Winter coming soon.

 Joey's coat is a bit of the colors of Autumn too.

He and I send best wishes to each of you.

Happy Autumn and Thankful Day!

May you each be blessed with family and dear friends nearby.

I am thankful for you!

Two Tea Times this Week

On Saturday there was a special tea tasting at the Lan Su Chinese Gardens.

Brian from theasophie.org was visiting and sharing his lovely puerh teas.

The first tea was from 1980's and quite delicious and full of flavor.

I so enjoy watching others pour the water and make the tea.

What a treat to hear Brian share of his experiences living in China

and beginning to grow tea in the Yunnan Province.

In the cup is the first tea, so rich and dark, definitely an aged tea.

Then we moved to the second tea, which Brian's new bride

and her parents made for their wedding in 2016.

He called it the Wedding Tea, also a puerh, but much less

ripe and tended more to have green notes to it.

Again he pours the water, steeps the tea, and shares

with each of us around the table.

Quite a difference in the cup also.

Sitting there sipping and listening to the stories

was so peaceful.

Brian talked about the name of his business

having meaning in the divine feminine,

a balance achieved in the making and living with tea,

being aware of the tea internally, and

expressing nature through tea.

Sitting and sipping becomes a spiritual experience,

a free flow of energy throughout the body.

Then connecting with others also becomes an experience

both blessed and delightful over a cup of tea just yesterday.

Cheryl, that won my book give away recently, happened to

live in Portland; so we met yesterday over my cup of tea latte

at Smith Teamaker's tea shop. It was fun to meet Cheryl for the first time.

In the cup was a seasonal black tea latte with hazelnut.

Isn't it pretty?

So many ways of celebrating with tea.

New friends, peaceful moments, and sipping are just the best.

Linking to Bernideen at http://blog.bernideens.com/