Litera-Tea

La Tea Dah at Gracious Hospitality is hosting a Tea Blog-a-Thon from March 16 until May 31. There a different theme for each week and you may participate as much or as little as you like. The theme for the second week, March 23-29 is Litera-Tea: "Share tea from the perspective of literature. Post a tea quote, a verse or poem, or story. Tell about a favorite tea book. This would be a good time to share how you use tea to encourage others. Do you minister to others by sending them tea themed cards to friends and shut-ins? Or another way you use 'tea' to share joy with others?"

My January 28 post shared a number of my tea-themed books.

In Metropolitan Museum of Art Teatime Tales & Rhymes , I found two poems which express the joys of tea.


A Cup of Tea
When the world is all at odds
And the mind is all at sea
Then cease the useless tedium
And brew a cup of tea.
There is magic in its fragrance,
There is solace in its taste;
And the laden moments vanish
Somehow into space.
And the world becomes a lovely thing!
There’s beauty as you’ll see;
All because you briefly stopped
To brew a cup of tea."
--Traditional

The Tea Party
In the pleasant green garden
We sat down to tea:
"Do you take sugar?" and
"Do you take milk?"
She’d got a new gown on—
A smart one of silk.
We all were so happy
As happy could be.
On that bright summer’s day
When she asked us to tea.
--Kate Greenaway

One of my favorite tea-related stories is A Cup of Christmas Tea by Tom Hegg, illustrated with watercolors by Warren Hanson. A nephew’s obligatory visit to his elderly aunt results in new insights into family memories.

The sequel, A Memory of Christmas Tea reveals the importance of special times for reflection about what matters most.

One of my favorite authors on various aspects of tea is Emily Barnes. I have been inspired by If Teacups Could Talk and recently got The Twelve Teas of Christmas from my book swap.
See La Tea Dah’s excellent reviews of four Emily Barnes tea books.

Please visit La Tea Dah at Gracious Hospitality for links to other participants in the Tea Blog-a-Thon.