you don' know what you'll miss until you can't have it.

I missed my tea!

It's a Muscle / 21 DAyS of GrAtiTUde

On January 15, 2016, I challenged myself to write about being grateful over 100 days, which I will be posting weekly. These last 7 days, I really had to make a concerted effort on some days to appreciate and be grateful. This exercise is like a muscle that needs to be exercised. I have learnt that no matter what is going on in my life, there are always grateful moments that are just waiting to be noticed.   

Day 15

I am grateful for oil.

I called my oil company to let them know that my house temperature was dropping. The serviceman insisted that I was not due for an oil delivery.  I suggested that he send someone to check the furnace. He did. And guess what? No oil in the tank! Oil has been delivered. Now my house is toasty warm again. J  #grateful

Day 16

I am grateful that I live in a place where I know my neighbors. It is important to feel safe and secure in your home and good neighbours help foster that feeling.

I am grateful that I l know my neighbours' names.  I Am fortunate that my neighbours are also friends and are very much like family. #family #neighbors #countrylife 

Day 17

I am grateful for a sister who called me at that perfect moment.  There is nothing I cherish more than family and their support. It is a blessing to have family who brightens your day when you hear the sound of their voice.  Like wise, it is heartbreaking to watch a family member go down a destructive path of self-harm.

However, it is important that we acknowledge that we have no control on how others choose to behave and the only control we truly have is how we react to them.  It does not mean you don’t love them. Because loving someone is knowing the difference between caring and enabling.  Accepting that only they are responsible for their actions.  At the end of the day, they hold all the power to make the right choice.  I didn’t fully appreciate this concept until now.  #alcoholism #dependency #power #family

Day 18

I am grateful for a lazy weekend when I can take time for self-care. I gave my feet a mini detox soak.

Some very, very, warm water, Epsom salts, and lavender essential oil. Soaked for 30 minutes.  It did more than make my feet soft and pretty.  It also reduced stress, flushes toxins, and made me feel so relaxed.  When I was done, I applied coconut oil on my feet, put on warm socks, and settled into some reading. 

This was so good that I am going to do it more frequently. #Thankful #content #selfcare

Day 19

I am grateful for the friends who show up in my life. Like, Carol who always knows the exact thing to say to me when I am dealing with a situation.   I think she has a wisdom chess filled with the perfect tools for every situation whether it applies to humans or animals. 

What she said to me recently on family dynamics was insightful and I want to share it with you. I paraphrase.

When dealing with family, it is complicated. However, we should acknowledge that in spite of our concerns and angst, it is no accident that whatever a person is going through, it is exactly where they are meant to be in their infinite journey. It is their sacred gift yet to be revealed to them in a realization and reAwakening.  And it is our love for them that elevates them to their higher self as they travel through the Souls School lesson. 

Day 20

My aunt Marie

Nature has an abundance of natural remedies for almost all that ails us. Since an older sister was diagnosed with breast cancer a few years ago, I have been researching and teaching myself about holistic modalities. Starting with eating healthy whole foods and eliminating process foods from the diet.

I was raised in an environment that accessed nature’s medicines, which gave me a predisposition to instinctively know that this was the right path of Inquiry. I have opened my mind and my heart to listen for wisdom, and thankfully I don’t have to look further than my older sisters.

On one occasion, my beautiful sister-in-law Hazel, mentioned she had amazing results from a common weed, the dandelion. Apparently she and others she knew used dandelions to treat eczema. It also can be used for a number of other homeopathic purposes.

Normally, I don’t recommend things I have not tried myself but it in this instance I took my sister-in-law on her word. Over a year ago, I recommended it to a friend, her young children 3 and 5 years old at the time suffered from severe eczema. The doctor treated them with cortisone and steroid creams, but she was concern about its long-term effects. She said she would try using the dandelions because as she put it, she had nothing to lose and everything to gain if it worked. Yesterday, I asked her how the children were doing, and she was really excited to tell me that the dandelion treatment worked. She said she used it only three or four times over the course of a week. And since then her children have not had any recurrence of eczema.

I am grateful to have wise older women in my life who share their wisdom with me.#nature #homeopathic #sisters

Day 21

I am grateful to be able to find time in my day to enJoy tea.We should all have a happy place!

Drinking tea for me is a ritual, a ceremony, and it is also meditative. It is not to be drunk quickly but savored. When you are relaxed and sipping the tea you can appreciate the full spectrum of flavors and aromas of the tea.  If you are a tea lover like me, you know, I am talking about JOY. #rituals #mediation #JOY #happyplace 

Every Tea Drinker Needs...

a cool tea pot, this one is called sorapot, which I received for Mother's Day.

I am one blessed mom!

Life's Small Pleasures

Tasty fragments of life provides pleasurable moments. String them together to create a memorable day. Collect as many as you wish.

It's my Cuppa Tea!

January is hot tea month, I don’t know who decides these things, but I’m glad that someone thought of it.
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art60425.asp
http://www.gracioushospitality.com/2009/01/january-national-hot-tea-month.html

My tea drinking practice evolved over time from drinking any kind of tea facsimile, to becoming more discriminating in my taste. I imagine myself to be somewhat of a tea connoisseur, with still so much more to learn.

As a child, my parents actually boiled loose tea leaves (Blue Ribbon) in a pot over an open campfire (similar to the picture here). The slightly smoky flavor gave the tea character, occasionally I would have a sip of someone’s tea. But it was not until years later that I began to consume tea as my beverage of choice.

I drink different types of tea over the course of the day. I begin my

day with Matcha tea, a Japanese ceremonial powdered tea. The preparation of the tea helps me begin my meditation. I mindfully whisk the powder in a small ceramic bowl. I pay close attention as the tea becomes frothy and a rich green color. I breathe in and I breathe out, I am present. I sit quietly and drink my bowl of tea. Now I am ready to continue my meditation and my day in perfect balance.

Later in the morning I enjoy a cup of chai, an Indian spiced tea with almond milk and a dusting of cinnamon. There are a number of different chai blends; my favorite is the chocolate, truffle to be exact.

In the mid afternoon, I enjoy my favorite green tea, Genmai. I particularly enjoy sipping this tea while I read. Finally, I like to end my day with a cup of chai roosibos, which also comes in a variety of blends to suit any taste.

The best advice for buying loose tea I can give, is to smell and inspect the leaves. The stronger the fragrance the fresher the tea, color and texture can also be a good indication of freshness.

The links below are some of my favorite places to purchase teas…

http://www.teaontheweb.com/
http://www.japanesegreenteaonline.com/organicgreentea.htm
http://www.granvilletea.com
http://steepstea.com

Notice your surroundings because you never know when the road you take will lead you to the perfect tea store. We unexpectedly came across this tea shop near Melbourne, Australia December 2009. We were stopped to consult a map, and I noticed across the street this tea shop. It has over 300 types of tea and tea accessories.

Go on, make yourself a pot of tea. The pleasure is in every cup, it is refreshing, relaxing, soothing and good for your emotional and physical health. Don't know what type of tea to drink, well read this.