Tea

But oh! the blessing it is to have a friend to whom one can speak fearlessly on any subject; with whom one's deepest as well as one's most foolish thoughts come out simply and safely. Oh, the comfort - the inexpressible comfort of feeling safe with a person - having neither to weigh thoughts nor measure words, but pouring them all right out, just as they are, chaff and grain together; certain that a faithful hand will take and sift them, keep what is worth keeping, and then with the breath of kindness blow the rest away.
~Dinah Craik, A Life for a Life, 1859

It's somewhat quiet just now and I'm finally reaching for my mug to make a cup of tea. I've been meaning to all morning, its the perfect morning for tea. The November air is crisp, yet still unseasonably fair. The sunshine is beautiful and the autumn sky is so blue, with just a hint of clouds from my vantage point. So its 11:54 and I'm reaching for my morning tea. Oh well. It will still taste good.

Every time I drink out of this mug, I think of the dear girl -now a woman- who gave it to me years ago. She is my best friend, a sister except not by blood or marriage, but by the direction of an unseen Hand that worked our lives together almost 15 years ago. We've been through so much together, Jody and I . . .many sorrows, and countless joys. We have seven children and 20 years of marriage between us. We've grown separately, but never apart, She is always in my heart, but this time of year especially for it was in the fall when our lives touched and our friendship began.