Spring Tea
From left to right: Shayla, Beth and Mekea.
We’ve all heard the phrase - fill the bucket - in which “bucket” usually refers to our heart and/or soul. Most of the time, when we feel good after someone does something thoughtful or nice for us, we may turn around and do something nice for someone else. Some common phrases that I hope we hear more of are, “My bucket is overflowing.” or “My bucket runneth over.” To me, these two phrases infer that we have more than our fill and we feel supported enough to face anything that comes our way.
If any woman needs their buckets to be filled, get together with one or more girlfriends and for sure, buckets will runneth over! I love that the three ladies in the picture above gathered their friends from the club and hosted a tea party. It was a lovely time. Some of us hadn’t seen each other in two years due to the pandemic. Typically, not seeing each other at the club is only at most, a season or two in between. Therefore, we appreciated the opportunity to attend the tea party because it was a reunion for many of us.
The tea cups are from Beth’s mentor’s collection. It’s the same set that is used by the Minnesota Dance Theatre for their annual Nutcracker Tea. I think it is very special that Beth’s mentor entrusted Beth to care for her tea cup sets while she is living in NYC to pursue her daughter’s dream of being a professional ballet dancer. That is a huge compliment for Beth to have that responsibility and honor. She is definitely very worthy! Thanks to Beth, it was more joyful to use these elegant tea cups rather than the white mugs that our clubhouse had offered.
Besides friendships, the venue was the common thread that brought us together since we are all members of the same country club. The tea party was held outside on the terrace and the views of the lake and downtown were amazing. The weather that day cooperated, which is always a blessing in MN. There was just enough sunshine and it was not too windy or too hot. In addition to tea, they served delicious finger sandwiches, desserts, wine and Mimosas (some skipped the OJ). Beth’s signature stamp of details were in full effect at this event. To name two (but I’m sure there are more): The beautiful tea cups and their warm connection to Beth, made the party genuinely festive. Plus, the center pieces were so organic that the branches of lilacs were from Beth’s lilac bushes from home. Call me old school but sharing and featuring elements from someone’s personal home gives a more unique vibe to special events. The rare fragrance of lilacs and the soft, spring statement they added, were perfect on each table!
Those lilacs! Wish you could smell them. This darling photo is compliments of Frankie Lenzmeier.
Another great photo from Frankie Lenzmeier. At the end of the tea party, each of us was given a thoughtful pinch.
As I age, I find that I am appreciating letterpress stationery a lot. Not sure what took me so long to appreciate letterpress but now that I do, I just gush all over it! Plus, I’m a HUGE fan of real, paper invitations. It brings me joy to have something to touch and hold onto. This invite is ever so sweet and the tag on the thoughtful pinch is so up my alley! The tea, natural tea bags, the clear wrapper, the sweet ribbon and that tag - it’s the best. What a thoughtful touch for the “tea party” theme. LOVE.
I have a hunch that even if our friends served Doritos and a 6-foot sub sandwich, all of us ladies would have nonetheless appreciated the effort they put into gathering us together. One thing I learned early on in my days of living here in MN is that it’s a gift to assemble women whenever possible. We collect (imaginary) bonus points if we could get together outside on a nice day. Gathering women has always been a strength that I admire about my friend Shayla. I will forever be grateful for her. Many years ago, Shayla scooped me into a moms group in which the common thread was that we all went to a pre/post-natal yoga venue named Blooma. This group of moms were women who were figuring out motherhood together on the daily. Although we don’t see each other very often, we remain forever bonded because of those times that we spent together searching, learning, grieving and celebrating the early years of motherhood. Shayla’s gift is that she connects those around her and every time we gather under her care and guidance, we all come out better for having spent the time together. She’s magic.
I liked every variety of the finger sandwiches they served but my fave was the mushroom variety (upper left, dark with light topping) - it had the best flavor. Pink macaroons, scones, muffins and little, two-bite lemon meringue pies were a hit! It’s no surprise that I ate one of every item that they served.
As I was gathering the photos from the tea party, I got a message from Mekea conveying that she didn’t take many photos. I reminded her that the reason she didn’t take many photos is because she was living in the moment. Mekea savors the time she has with people she cares about. Her clear eyes always lock onto the eyes of whomever she converses with because she is engaged and present. And so she may not have captured photos of the tea party, but the connections she made with everyone cannot be forgotten even if we try. With Mekea, I felt seen and heard and I’m sure that was the case with most of the friends at the party. Those who chatted with her appreciate the undivided attention; it’s one of the many traits that we love about Mekea.
Feeling supported with my full bucket, I was able to spread joy the rest of the day after the tea party. I was a little nicer to my kids. I took time to speak slowly and clearly to my mom. I had more patience with the world around me. When things went back to “normal” - because they always go back to normal after a big girlfriend high - I knew that I would be ok. Fortunately, I didn’t have to deal with “the crazy” empty-handed; my heart and soul were armed with spring tea time to get me through it. Just as certain as the lilacs will bloom every spring, this party gave me hope for more gatherings like that to come. Cheers!
Pinches,
Barb