TEA-ditions

A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; (Ecclesiastes 3:4, ESV)

In the fall we Liles have lots of "fall" traditions. Tonight we're having chili because it's Halloween---even son Josh in Brooklyn has his pot cooking as I type. It must be an innate thing.

In the garden, cool temps bring out the pansies for my garden. This tradition was started as my two nieces, Polly and Allyson, became Tri-Delts at the University of Kentucky and the pansy was their sorority's  flower. A flower of friendship thru membership. A flower of loving thoughts. After Allyson's death in 1995, the gentle flower took on the horticultural symbolism of remembrance.
Tonight we warm ourselves as we share that warm pot of chili with friends and sweet memories of her.

Thus, the two traditions meld as the pansies in my garden remember Allyson and the ones on my table celebrate a belated birthday dinner with dear friend, Diane.

Blending loving thoughts of both remembrance and celebration in my cuppa of tea-dition today!

"TEA-ditions"

Let your wife be a fountain of blessing for you. Rejoice in the wife of your youth. (Proverbs 5:18, NLT)

Today is our wedding anniversary.....so hubby will have to think hard to visualize any "youth" in said wife. But God, our keeper, has kept us together for 45 years.

Anniversary traditions are always a part of our celebration---

Five years ago I searched far and wide for 40 ruby items....this year it's sapphire BUT 45 sapphire items were way out of this retiree's budget. So...I settled on the things he enjoys most---golf and a glass of wine. Lots of wines come in brilliant sapphire bottles. The problem was which one. Not being a connoisseur of wines, I had to have help. I think the clerk was dumbfounded that I cared more about the richness of the color of the bottle than the richness ("bouquet" in he wine term of a oenophile) of the wine within. Gift 2 is a round of golf at Sapphire Mountain Golf Club for an upcoming trip to western North Carolina when the trees will be brilliant against a rich blue sky.

Naturally, I love all the scriptures reminding husbands to love their wives. (Ephesians 5:22) but many describe what that love will entail.....
"....be exhilarated always with her love...."(Proverbs 5:19c) or as Ecclesiastes 9:9 states, "Live joyfully with the wife whom you love." According to hubby, when I"m happy, it's easier to  to live joyfully with me. So....I've scheduled dinner for us  at the Swag on our extended anniversary trip.
Hopefully, this year's anniversary gifts will provide the perfect cuppa TEA-dition for our celebration.**

**YEA! Hubby's gift follows the TEA-dition as well---Sapphire rules for me, aka Mrs. Rand McNally. An atlas, my favorite gift, had a deep "sapphire" blue cover---I now have Crater Lake blue stars in my eyes! What a thoughtful guy!