Tuesday Tea Time!

Hiya Tuesday Tea Time friends!

The reality is that the month of July has been a very trying month for not only our country, world, but my simple every day life. One never knows how certain dates or anniversaries or random days are going to hit them & the majority of the July days have been unfortunately heavy.

While my heaviness has not been because of infertility, I want y'all to check out my friend's new project through her business of Hampton Roads Doulas at This is Infertility. Because of my health history I was lead to believe I may be infertile & thus the pure surprise of my pregnancy with Kaia Gene. I know this project will benefit hundreds of people. My friend LB is doing amazing work & recently expanded her business across the country to LA at Doulas of Los Angeles.

I pray to put this heaviness to rest with the coming memorial service for our sweet Kaia Gene in another week & a half. I know that this time will pass & lighter days are ahead. And till then I move along one foot in front of the other with my tea in hand.

Tuesday Tea Time!

Hello Tuesday teatime friends! I come to you later in the day today because I'm finally able to wrap my mind around all life happenings both personally & in our world a little bit better at this point in the day.

Life continues to be good & challenging.

I could talk about black lives matter, all lives matter, or gun control. I could talk about the death of a child, the children we hope for, or the children without a home. I could talk about politics & the hilarity & sadness of Stephen Colbert's show at the Republican Party convention.

There's so much that today's teatime could focus on it leaves me without words.

Take time to care for your neighbors. Take time to care for each other. Know that there are only visual differences between the colors & the textures & the labels. We are all humans trying to survive. Be nice. Be kind. Be helpful. Be neighborly. Be love. 

Tuesday Tea Time!

Hiya Tuesday Tea Time Friends!

We've come to another important milestone in our year. Z and I, and others, remembered our original due date for baby Kaia Gene this past Sunday July 10. July 10 is also our oldest nieces birthday & our a very good friend MBR's birthday. This July 10 we also said goodbye to a youth who will be moving to a new state in the next few days. This July 10 we both went to work & preached the good news in various ways. Z preached as a preacher & I is a Diaconal Minister, serving youth ministry. This July 10 marked a significant milestone in our year even amidst the usual Sunday happenings.

After the usual Sunday lounging we hopped in the car & drove to meet up with good friends for dinner. These friends are not friends that we see very often due to distance, but friends that there's a piece of home in our friendship. LK & I have been friends since our first semester at CAP, nearly 14 years ago. The Spirit led us in similar ways for several years as we both figured we shouldn't stick with our original choice of study at CAP & switched to religious studies. Then beyond CAP we both went on to serve 2 years with YE & that's when RK entered our lives. Let's just say, not only do they have the same last name now, but 2 adorable & energetic little ones (a 3rd on the way) & therefore LK & RK got to know each other much faster & in a different way than RK & I did. They are a delightful couple to have spent part of such a unique day in our year with them.

It was like meeting with a piece of home to have dinner with them. We caught up on life in the here & now & remembered life from long ago. Our connections through college days, Youth Encounter days, all our world travels & calls to ministry keep us connected. These pieces keep us at home with each other. Being we met on our original due date & their third wee one growing (due in November) we connected through hopes for our families & funny stories of the growth of all life. They left, trying to make it back to be with their extended family - all together for an annual family gathering nearby - so that they could help with putting the 7 youngest to bed.

You can't make these pieces of life happen. They just do & for that simple piece, I give thanks. Today's Tuesday Tea Time is dedicated to the milestones & the delightful pieces of life that just are.

Tuesday Tea Time!

 Hello Tuesday Tea Timers!!!

Happy July! I hope y'all had a great holiday weekend. Even if you found yourself outside the USA, I hope you're enjoying this beautiful time of the year.

This week is a very busy week with the National Cherry Festival going on near by. I give thanks to all who have helped with the parking lot youth ministry fundraiser & look forward to the days of service in our community coming up later this week. We'll be helping Habitat for Humanity one day & participating in an area clean up another day.

While I'm in the throes of summer work busyness, I still take my time for tea on Tuesdays. I love this photo by Britta Gene Art for this month. It makes me want to be relaxing in that chair with a good cup of tea. This rocking chair is buried deep in some of the woods outside my hometown. It's a quiet & peaceful place. It is a lovely place made by lovely people.

Enjoy you're tea time today & if you're as active as me this week, be sure to stop & savor the tea time today & whenever you need it.