Working Wives & Bachelorettes: A Little Tea and a Lot of Thanks

After doing a some shopping this past weekend, I started to feel a little Christmas cheer. I enjoyed seeing the Christmas displays and the red and green decorating the stores. All the merriment had me thinking of packing up my autumn decorations to make way for Christmas trees and twinkle lights.

The next day, my anticipation of the Christmas season slowed down. My mom took me and my brother's girlfriend to tea at Sweet Shalom Tea Room in Sylvania, OH. Surrounded by delicate floral china with matching tea cups and real silver, we were served delicious food - the pumpkin scones were unbelievable! And of course, we drank wonderful tea. At our place settings were little cards with our names and a gentle reminder to "keep an attitude of gratitude". In the middle of our afternoon tea, a woman, who I assume is the owner, talked about gratitude and the physical benefits of living a thankful life.

As I sat listening to her and sipping my tea, I thought about what I am thankful for. We were even given little sheets of paper to list things. My family is the first thing that came to my mind, especially as my dad is, yet again, in the ICU. And frankly, last weekend was stressful and scary with some tears shed, but I still have a lot to be thankful for. My dad is in an excellent hospital getting the best care possible.

The atmosphere was so relaxing in this tea room that the short break from the craziness of the weekend was something to be thankful for. And even though we had to abruptly leave to go back to the hospital before the tea was over, our gracious server boxed up our desserts and split our fresh pot of tea into three to-go cups.

While I have bad days and frustrations about many things, I forget to slow down so the craziness of everything doesn't consume me. I can't control everything and that isn't going to change.

While I am still eager to break out my Christmas decorations, I will hold off for just a little bit longer to enjoy Thanksgiving. Who knew that a few cups of tea could bring so much perspective?