Sharing Tea
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The lovely table my neighbor Elaine set for our tea after a walk through her garden. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)
Sharing Tea
Over the years, friends have mentioned in passing how nice it would be to sit down for a long conversation over a pot of tea. Last week, on what happened to be my anniversary of moving to this mid-Missouri community several decades ago, my neighbor Elaine did just that - invited me over for tea.
The tea table was set on her lovely back deck with a pretty printed table cloth and fresh roses in a small vase inspired, she said, by my posts about small flower bouquets brightening up a room.
There was a lot of talk of plants and gardening, raising grandchildren and how our other neighbors are doing. Together Elaine and I manage our small Neighborhood Watch program, looking out for any unusual neighborhood activity and keeping an eye out on vehicle traffic to keep the kids safe.
As we tasted two different kinds of tea, it struck me that the biggest gift of sharing tea was the gift of time, and of listening. We can walk to each other’s houses and frequently catch up on neighborhood developments but this was the first time we sat down to just share a cup of tea.
As I headed home, I thought there couldn’t have been a better way to mark this very personal anniversary. Thank you, Elaine, my turn next month!
