"Tea with Thee"

3/2/10 A cup of hot tea (cuppa)   is the ideal accompaniment to my morning routine. Sally B. asked me what would be a good tea? WOW, that’s a hard question----there are so many good choices but each tea lover would probably give a different answer. Black loose tea is usually my preference---a good hearty assam with real sugar and a drop of milk. No cream for me, it masks the flavor. Most teas are a good blend. Just don’t oversteep them. Add more tea, not longer steeping time, otherwise your “cuppa” can be “bittah.” For my recent cold winter mornings I have enjoyed a good Irish Breakfast Tea----Bewley’s, Barry’s or Lyon’s---all good, robust, black tea blends. I probably lean toward Bewley’s because of the memory it evokes---Grafton Street, 1993. Porridge for me---full Irish b’fast for Larry---both served with a pot of their signature tea. Not sure why, but I remember the sign above the entry of this famous Dublin establishment. It said Bewley’s Oriental Café, though there was nothing oriental about it---just a cafeteria-like line, small tables and a bustling atmosphere. Knowing my affinity for their tea, Josh brought me some back from his last trip there. Yum-m-m-m!

There’s just something about starting my day with my fingers wrapped around my warm teacup---most mugs are too big---a devotional book on the chair arm and my Bible open on my lap (the original laptop) that opens my eyes to infinite possibilities. “Tea with Thee.” The best “routine” morning times are like my tea---steeped just right, not rushed. An ordinary cup of tea, my daily Jesus Calling reading, simple scripture verses at my fingertips----ordinary beginnings can make a day extraordinary.

Cause me to hear thy lovingkindness in the morning; for in thee do I trust: cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto thee. (Psalm 143:8)