Sunday Afternoon Tea

Thank you for all your well wishes. I am much better now. I do have my cell phone alarm set to the time I take my evening long term insulin shot as it is the only shot not specific to a meal.

It was quite amusing Friday evening when I heard the alarm go off but was confused as the phone was with my husband. It turned out he was walking in the door at exactly that time! Normally I have no trouble remembering to eat so I set no alarm for meals. :)

Stephanie had told me she slipped another birthday present in with a box of exercise gear arriving for her brother (I am quite thankful the P90X stuff was not for me).

How absolutely thrilled I was to find the Collector's Set of the PBS/BBC version of Sense & Sensibility and Persuasion which I so enjoyed watching together late at night, after the children had been put to bed when they visited.

This was my "extra" birthday gift, having been given gifts when they visited. (They are leaving for England and will "celebrate" my birthday there, most likely enjoying an extra scone with Devonshire cream and strawberry jam in my honor.)

It won't be quite as much fun watching it without Stephanie but still enjoyable. As I told her, I will brew a pot of my favorite Earl Grey Green tea and make some cinnamon toast for my own Jane Austen tea time and "therapy".

After a week of more than enough drama going on with extended family members, working on priorities for a tight budget, and last minute parties... I can use a trip to the land of good manners and beautifully dressed ladies.

To be honest, it has been a week of spiritual dryness. We all walk through those times once in awhile. I tried to read even the Psalms but found my Bible in the same spot most of the week. I picked up a good motivating book to read and then review... ditto.

Even the books in my Summer of All Things Lovely list lay waiting to be read.

Normally I enjoy the reading of summer. When Stephanie was around middle school age (she was not officially homeschooled), I started making a Summer Reading List for her. Not that she wasn't an avid reader already but I wanted her to graduate from the Mandie books to those one can sink their literary teeth into. I started with books like Christy, then went to books such as Exodus... and even later threw in some of the Russians.

However, recently I have found words not to be what I needed (gasp!). Instead I have pulled weeds in the raised bed garden, grated the zucchini I harvested to be measured and placed in the snack size Ziploc bags (which are then all placed inside a bigger Ziploc bag to keep safe in the freezer)... ready for quick breads later.

I have slowly sipped my morning coffee while enjoying the deck and porch, memorizing the scenes of summer for the days the trees will be bare and the snow blowing. I propped up my feet on the living room coffee table with an elderly cat curled up beside me as I watched cooking and gardening shows on PBS (the antennae runs into the living room where we keep our ancient Sony TV).

There have been moments as I stood at the edge of the forest listening to an amazing variety of birds singing in the trees. Sigh... I wanted to hug a tree. :)

I even found some peace in washing the dishes while enjoying the aroma of lavender from sudsy water. Somehow the site of clean dishes stacked in the red dish drainer makes me smile... even though another used plate or cup will be placed in the sink within a half an hour... awaiting the next washing.

It should come as no surprise that spiritual refreshing often comes through the sights, sounds, and aromas of nature along with appreciating the growth of vegetables and flowers... to feel stress leave as I pet Sasha's soft fur and see the kitty smile on her face.

I will return to Scripture and find wisdom and peace. The books stacked so high on my coffee table will soon be opened and enjoyed. But for now I will find rest and recreation in the sights of summer, peruse eye candy magazines recently delivered by the rural mail carrier, watch wonderful Austen DVDs, perhaps nibble a little of the leftover cherry chocolate cake, and enjoy a small pot of tea poured in a sweet English china cup.

I think it is a short journey through the spiritual desert. :)