Monday's Tea Quote

Cupping

I looked at the ancient tea bowl

behind glass in the museum.

Its beauty and simplicity beckoned to me.

My gaze brought it into my heart.

It became my soul for the moment.

I turned it on its side

and felt a pouring out.

I turned it back

and felt a filling up.

 ~Meditations by Shelley Richardson

The meditation comes from the book, Looking Deeply into Tea,

Thoughts and Prayers

I find I have an extra copy of this book on my shelf;

so I will be giving it away to one of you.

Leave a comment on this post and

there will be a drawing on Friday.

Greet the Weekend with JOY

Yesterday the sun was fully out

and the peonies began blooming in the garden.

This peony is just stunning,

about eight inches across.

I just had to share this with you

and send you on your way.

Happy Weekend, dear friends!

May you be blessed with sunshine and delight!

April is Poetry Month

Once upon a time I found this poem boat sitting by the water's edge.

Wondering why it was called that, I looked closer.

Inside a poem was laid open there.

Was it coming or was it going?

I decided it was there for me to share with you.

A poem boat with a poem to share

on poem in your pocket day

and poetry month.

I am not afraid to travel far

For courage is my boat

It holds me in her hands

And gathers me to her heart

So sail away

To lands both near and far

For the adventure is mine alone

And I will spread my sail and go

~m.miller 

This is purely mine
a poem to share
a boat made of paper
I created many years ago. 
A bit of whimsy!

Tea on the Beach

The weather here in Portland, Oregon has recently

turned to a more summery feel.

They say it won't last, but for now we are soaking up the sun.

So a quick trip to the Columbia River, about 10 minutes

from my home, to have some tea and enjoy the day.

The tea is Japanese Sencha from Harney and Sons.

A light tea to enjoy by the sea (couldn't resist the rhyme),

but really by the river.

What better way to enjoy time away than with a cup of tea,

soak up the late afternoon sun and walk along the river's edge.

 The views along the river include watching the planes

take off and land at the airport.

 Mt. Hood in the distance.

And greeting people out enjoying the day,

walking or biking along the trail.

Every time I go here I say the same thing,

why don't I come more often.

Tea, a beautiful day, and walking,

what more could I want.

Beautiful!

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

Seize the Day

Sometimes there is an adventure that comes to our attention

yet we hesitate to jump later regretting it.

Well recently there was the annual Spring show at my local antique mall.

My schedule was full, but there was a little window in the day

and I jumped, seizing this window of time.

I am always glad when I do it, for it is my JOY and Delight

to view the beauties of the show.

So fresh and welcoming was this daybed.

I just wanted to curl up with a good book and seize moments of comfort there.

  But then a comfy chair might do the trick.

  Or I could have easily moved that plant and sat with a cup of tea.

Springtime always brings out the flowers

and I was not disappointed.

Bouquets were tucked everywhere,

they just made me smile.

Along with the flowers there was tea tins.

Oh if only I had room in my house these tins would have come home.

Isn't this an amazing twiggy basket.

Now I think I would tuck some primroses inside.

And there was yet another scale.

Picturing a baby being weighed on this one.

And then we dance!

Of course, we do!

It does my heart well to dance, skip, and sing,

but mostly just to savor and delight in the day at the antique mall.

I don't go to shop, I go to soothe my soul, snap a few pictures,

and just enjoy seizing the day.

Monday's Tea Quote

"(he) who with tea amuses the evening,

with tea solaces the midnight,

and with tea welcomes the morning"

~Samuel Johnson

Literary Magazine, 1757

This quote was found on the back of the tea menu from

Babington's Tearoom in Rome, Italy.

Such a wonderful memory of having tea at the bottom

of the Spanish Steps in Rome once upon a time. 

I am healing and enjoying my morning tea,
welcoming a new week, a new day!

View in the Garden and a Rest

Each Friday I see this view in my garden.

Not necessarily cherry blossoms,

but definitely linen on the line.

How wonderful to tuck in at night to freshly

dried linen sheets from the garden.

This week I am trying to get better.

It is a chest cold, but just exhausting.

I will be tucking into the sheets a bit more,

taking a rest and a break.

See you here next Monday, dear friends.

Have an extra special week.

Monday's Tea Quote

 The quote for this week was found at the Best of British teashop

just this past Saturday.

Teatime took place there with my friend, Steph of Steph's Cup of Tea.

Isn't she pretty dressed in her kimono?
I often wear my mother's pearls to commemorate her love of tea.

Steph and I always love sharing tea together.
Whenever there is a new place in town all the better.

We were not disappointed.

And the quote on the teashop door was just too good not to share.

Aloneness

There something about walking a staircase like this

that both makes me feel alone, but also headed somewhere very special.

Recently in an email from Bella Grace Magazine the following came.

David Whyte writes, “One small thing I’ve learned these years, how to be alone, and at the edge of aloneness how to be found by the world.” To heal, we must feel what we feel. Sit down in aloneness and cultivate our capacity to be with everything. This is done little bit by little bit with patient, persistent effort. Gradually, we trust in ourselves—in our enough-ness—even when life is difficult. And from this trusted “edge of aloneness,” we connect with the world in a more wholehearted way.

Does this resonate with you?

Do you sometimes feel alone? 

Then the word "enough" pops in there 

and I realize that those little things make life "enough".

There are many days on the "edge of aloneness",

especially when I am stuck at home too long,

where I must step outdoors

and savor nature

then surround myself with others.

Sometimes it takes an effort just to notice what is needed

and then to act on that need.

Definitely I must embrace movement wholeheartedly

to rid myself of "aloneness" for another day.

It is the acknowledging and then acting

that rids us of feeling alone for sure!

Little Things Mean Alot

Just the other day as I stepped out of my car

this message was sketched into the sidewalk.

We all can use a thanks much from time to time;

so I took it as a sign to be thankful.

Then as I walked on the beach last month

I found several special messages.

I took them each one to heart and held them there.

Can you see this message, it is a bit hard to read.

It said Happy Birthday and it was the day after mine,

so I took that too.

It was meant for me and someone else.

The perfect butterfly was found nearby.

As you will see with the last picture,

butterflies have a special place in my heart.

I took this sweet message to fly too.

Then in my own gardenhouse I found

my live-in gardener had left a message there.

My pies have always had a butterfly placed in the center

and this Easter apple pie was no different.

My daughter had to take this picture because it was an

extra special pie.

Last summer I drove alone to California to get one more box

of gravenstein apples from my sister's small orchard.

Now they aren't just any apples,

they are the remaining trees from our grandfather's 

orchard many years ago.

This was my last pie in the freezer served to special guests.

These little things are worth celebrating

and noticing for sure.

Each day we must notice what you notice

and celebrate the little things.

Weighing In

 What is it about old scales that intrigues us

or is it just me?

Is there a need to be accurate and measure each step

of the way?

 Or do we dream of tossing them out

and sending them on their way?

 Maybe we just wipe there faces clean

so we can wing it to the moon and back.

But then there comes that little pig

and we weigh him in and say you would be a tasty dish.

It was intriguing to find so many scales about as

I visited the antique shop recently.

I wondered if people were no longer weighing in

and going more free style this year.

Or maybe they are weighing in with more modern tools.

Do you find you need to weigh in from time to time?

Maybe sit with someone special and share your thoughts.

Someone that keeps you on track and weighing in?

Maybe it is measuring in the kitchen,

but maybe it is something in your life?

Enjoy the process which ever way you weigh in each day!

Monday's Tea Quote

Drink your tea slowly and reverently,

as if it is the axis on which the world Earth revolves-

slowly,

evenly,

without rushing toward the future.

~Thich Nat Hahn

Sipping tea with a friend,

listening to the music of the day,

tea brings us together in shared spirit.

~m.miller

It was March at the Lan Su Chinese Gardens.

Jeanie, do you recognize the hand?

Hope those guys don't mind being in my picture.

Nature

With last week's celebration this crown of thorns seemed to be appropriate.

I walked in the garden collecting nature and savoring the sun of spring.

Each moment to I can spend out doors delights my soul.

It has always been my place of choice when I needed

restoration, relaxation, and a lighter heart.

So today I remember Easter, but more than that I am soaking

up the out of doors, smelling the earth, and smiling at the sun.

"Man is a part of nature,

and his war against nature 

is inevitably a war against himself."

~Rachel Carson

Happy weekend, dear friends!
I hope you have moments to step outdoors this weekend.

Kindness for All

Never, never be afraid to do what's right,

especially if the well-being of a person or animal is at stake.

Society's punishments are small compared to the wounds

we inflict on our soul when we look the other way.

~Martin Luther King Jr.

In reading this quote this morning

I am reminded of my words for the year,

both Kindness and Courage. 

We must not be afraid to do what's right

for YES it does make a difference in our soul.

Remember to treat each other with Love and Kindness.

Picture: my resident cat, Joey.

Or Joy for Joey is his official full name.

Springtime in the Garden

 Springtime in the garden beckons me to have tea.

 

 Won't you join me there.

The daffodils are blooming.

 We can sit and savor each sip as we giggle and share stories

of life in a simpler time.

My grandfather's Haviland china is the guest of honor on this table.

Violets and daisies decorate each plate and cup.

The softness of pink tulips, my heart rejoices!

 Pastel colors and blossoms just sing to my heart of Springtime.

Sponge cakes with lemon curd fit perfectly into the delights of the day.

English Breakfast tea sits in our cups

and we sip with JOY.

Happy Springtime, dear friends!

Find time to savor each day with JOY. 

"Doing nothing is respectable at tea."

~Sasaki Sanmi

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

Searching

 It was a bit cold here, but that didn't curtail the search.

 We looked low and we looked high.

 Some were quite obvious and some tucked quietly behind a leaf.

 The search was fun and soon enough the basket was full.

Sometimes it is all about the search.

The adventure of it all.

It delights our soul.

The rewards are great!

It fills our heart with JOY.

Do you delight in the search?

What rewards are you looking for?

Life adventures are always about the search.

Is it a search for the reward, the adventure, 

or solving the mysteries of life?

Enjoy it all and delight in each moment.