Words of Kindness and Joy

 "Books are a way we leave a mark on the world, aren't they? They say we were here, we loved and we grieved and we laughed and we made mistakes and we existed. They can be burned halfway around the world, but the words cannot be unread, the stories cannot be untold." from The Librarian of Burned Books by Brianna Labuskes 

Books bring me JOY. How about you?

I recently finished The Librarian of Burned Books. It took me awhile to get into the story, but once it captured my attention it has resided in my heart. It was sad, but we all came out positive in the end. It gave me hope.

As you read further along in this post, I am sharing small moments of joy. The one above is a recent breakfast where I enjoyed some freshly made fig jam on a crumpet with my tea. I hadn't made jam for a few years and totally lost sight of the joy of savoring jam made by my own hands. So delicious.

The other joy was having a social media friend send me moon cakes and tea for no reason at all, but because she wanted to share the joy from her hands and heart.

Now a friend mentioned she was reading A Thousand Feasts by Nigel Slater. Since I have enjoyed his Christmas Chronicles each December, I decided to start reading his new book over my morning tea. His books are small essays wrapped around food.His descriptive words always delight me.

I loved what Nigel Slater said in his introduction to A Thousand Feasts. "I see no point in putting pen to paper to preserve anything negative, sad or painful. Heaven knows,there is enough of that. I have no wish to live in a rose-tinted bubble, but if I have learned one thing, it is not only to concentrate on the "positive stuff", but to cherish it. I will admit to seeking it out, to looking up instead of down, to being curious and to hold on, as tightly as I can, to "the good things", however small." He goes on to talk about noticing the "small moments of joy".

Another joy was sharing tea this past Saturday with a group of dear friends. I had connected with this dear lady above, Rui of Grass People Tree (tea business) early in the pandemic on Instagram. I attended several of her tea events on zoom and her heart just touched me. She is in Portland right now sharing tea with new and old friends, all the way from China.

It was so special to have her pour tea and share stories.

Seeing the smiles on my friends faces brought me amazing joy.

And then to also on a recent evening to sit with another dear friend and listen to these two ladies share stories. It just made me smile from ear to ear. If you don't know who these ladies are, they are Hillary Clinton and Tina Kotek (Oregon's governor).

 

In our crazy political world right now, it is important more than ever to notice the "small moments of joy".

Dear friends bring me JOY.

I encourage you to notice what you notice, maybe write down your joys, savor each one and let the joy reside in your heart.

Sending love,

Marilyn

Chihuly Museum

I have always been fascinated by Chihuly's blown glass. In Las Vegas I have stood and gazed at the decorated ceiling in the Bellagio Hotel with his glass art pieces. I have walked through museums where his glass has been on display. Each time I have attended the NW Tea Festival in Seattle I have wanted to visit the Chihuly Museum nearby, but hadn't taken the time. This recent trip to Seattle I said, "OK, I must go to the Chihuly Museum!". So off I went. Enjoy the views of gorgeous glass pieces. It is truly amazing!

It is right next to the Space Needle in the Seattle Center.

This glass sphere reminded me of a cinnamon roll.

It felt like these beautiful glass structures were growing from the ground.

The colors are just magnificent in the garden.

Then inside glass was hanging above our head's and surrounding us. It was awesome.

It felt like I was floating through the sea.

A secret room surrounded me in color.

What a imagination to come up with these creations.

Even the small pieces delighted the eyes.

 Have you ever seen Chihuly glass in person? It is truly stunning. I am so glad I finally paused long enough to enjoy.

 

Sending love,

Marilyn

Words of Kindness and Joy

 “The smallest act of kindness is worth more than the grandest intention.” – Oscar Wilde

One of the things I savor and enjoy in having a cup of tea with a friend is the civility, the kindness and the pure JOY of just sitting in the moment. I find sipping tea puts me in that moment. It tells me to stop and pay attention. To notice the beauty around me. To embrace the time with a dear one and say "thank you" to God for this special moment.

 Two pictures taken in different places and at different moments. The teacup travels with me in my car. It says that I am always ready to share a cup of tea with you. To share love and joy, plus a few tears and laughter too.

It is a small thing to carry through life with me, but it gives me JOY.

What small thing brings thought of JOY and Kindness to you?

Sending love,

Marilyn

NW Tea Festival

 The purpose of the recent trip north into Washington State was 2 fold, to visit sister-in-law and to attend the NW Tea Festival in Seattle.

Early the day of the festival we hopped on the ferry to cross from Bainbridge Island to Seattle.

And then a short car drive to the Seattle Center, we arrived.

They were ready to taste tea.

Greeting tea friends is always a joy for me. Above is Thomas Shu. He sells oolong teas from Taiwan. He always has a smile on his face and a song in his heart. I have known Thomas for over 20 years and it was fun to see him at the festival this year.

Then below was Bardo Tea, a new teashop right in my neighborhood. Veronica and Ravi are doing a great job and sourcing amazing teas.

Just pretty sights throughout the festival.

Jonathon Steele was showing his tea ceramics, which are gorgeous. This year he was also selling a lovely white peony tea, which I came home with. He is now in Japan for a three month internship.

I love to taste at many of the booths, but only came home with two new teas. Beside the white peony, I came home with an oolong tea from New Zealand (Zealong Tea), via Chicago Teahouse. 

I couldn't resist taking a picture of this hat. Isn't it fun?

A Japanese tea ceremony demonstration took place here.

There were plenty of opportunities to taste tea and listen to speakers.

The Empty Tea Cup seems to show up at all the festivals in the Northwest. He doesn't have a business, but just enjoys sitting and serving tea to passers by. It is rare to find an empty seat at his table.

I just had to have my picture taken with the NW Tea Festival teapot this year. Such a wonderful sign of teatime held there.

And the Seattle space needle is nearby; so just couldn't miss an opportunity to snap a picture.

Have you ever attended a festival celebrating tea? Even if you are not a huge tea fan, it is fun to sip. It is amazing how many different tea flavors there are and I am always surprised.

 

For me, beside tasting good tea, it is about connecting with friends.

 

Have a tearrific weekend, dear friends!

Sending love,

Marilyn

Two Stories

 

Today I want to step away from sharing travel pictures. I want to share two stories that happened to me just yesterday. Yesterday was my shopping day. I ventured to the market to buy groceries. Now I have shopped at this market for 50 years. It has always been just a normal shopping experience. Yesterday was no exception until I got to check out. The kind woman at the register asked me if I had some digital coupons and I replied I did not, mainly because I don't like having to scroll through my phone to find them. She said, "I can take care of that" and she gave me the discounts for the things that qualified. Then she went on to give me some other discounts, which added up to about $60 savings. I thanked her. She said "we are here to take care of you". I told her the no one in the store had ever said that before to me. She reassured me that was her role to be there to take care of her customers. That really touched my heart. You see I had been thinking, as a strong woman no one takes care of me. I take care of those around me, but in return don't feel taken care of. I can only think of one or two friends that take care of me. One of you reads this post, thank you for your care.

The second story took place on the way home from the market. My hair dresser comes to my house to cut my hair about every 5 weeks and she doesn't sell hair products. I needed a new hair spray and my hair dresser said just stop by a salon and buy hair spray there. So on the way home yesterday I stopped by a salon near my house. When I walked in to this very simple salon I realized I was the only white woman. I think they were surprised to see me come in as much as I was surprised to be there. They didn't sell hair products; so I turned to leave. The woman in the chair said "Mam" and I turned to see what she wanted. She had noticed the little sticker on my purse that said "Vote Blue" and asked me about my sticker. We had the most amazing conversation. All the women in the salon agreed they were voting Blue and were thrilled I was too. We agreed we needed to encourage the men in our lives to also vote Blue. I thanked them for the conversation and turned to go. Again I heard "Mam". When I turned again the hair dresser handed me the hair spray half used and gave it to me.

Tears in my eyes for these women with kindness in their hearts.

I definitely felt cared for. Something we need to remember to do each day. Touches of kindness and caring are so necessary. We must care for each other each and every day and take notice. What touches of care have you received this week?

Sending love,

Marilyn

Bloedel Reserve

 Recently on my small adventure north we spent an afternoon walking and savoring a lovely autumn day at Bloedel Reserve on Bainbridge Island, Washington.

I will try to post the rest of the trip in several posts this week.

Bloedel is just gorgeous. It was an estate set aside for the public to enjoy. From beautiful trees, flowers, a reflective pool, beautifully groomed trails, water ways, and the estate home.

 Golden leaves were just beginning to appear.

This was the entrance to the Japanese Teahouse. The teahouse is primarily set up for day retreats, no tea was being served.

I always love spotting flowers in bloom.

And unique trees too.

I actually have visited here on several occasions, but always look forward to each time I stop by. It is so peaceful and worth the visit. But then nature calls to my heart and at each opportunity I must go.

 

Sending love,

Marilyn