Love is...

the things that get you through difficult times.

The last few months have been challenging, not for any one single thing, but several. Certainly the transition to two kids alone can be hard, but I feel like we're getting there. It's been unexpectedly having to replace the furnace & having to borrow the money to do so. It's been what seems like one illness after another at our house- and a surgery on top of it. Dave had his nose fixed after living with it being virtually useless for years. It's a good thing, but it's still a recovery time. Corryn has some food sensitivies that I have yet to completely identify, so we have these days that she just screams inconsolably. It's been the never ending winter- and accompanying grayness- this year.

The list can go on, but who really wants to. The image represents what has gotten me through this. The flowers are from my mom who sent them under the guise of Easter, but I think it was most just because she loves me and wanted to cheer me up. It worked. They were beautiful!

Tea has been a mainstay for me since Corryn's birth. The warmth on these endless cold days, the fact I have to slow down to sip it- the forced "mommy break." Few days have passed without at least a couple of cups of tea.

Dave gave me the blue teapot years ago. Although I've long been a tea drinker, I used it mostly for decoration until just the last few years, I never really knew what to do with it, until I discovered just how wonderful it can be to have a pot of tea sitting there ready. Since then, I've used in regularly. In that time, I've had the joy of discovering that tea is so much more than you can buy at the grocery store. My friend Karen is so generous in sharing her incredible stash of teas, that I've gotten to taste and enjoy many kinds- along with the benefit of sharing it with a friend.

On Monday evening, a package arrived from Adagio teas, sent by Karen. It is was a brewing pot, 5 different kinds of teas and a small book with great photos explaining all about tea- greens, blacks, oolongs, white. I immediately tried it out and enjoyed a cup of herbal rooibos from Africa. Such a wonderful gift!

Last, it's the photos. I've also long enjoyed photography, but since getting the digital Nikon SLR back in the fall, it's really taken off for me. I've gotten the chance to take some maternity pictures of another friend, Cynthia- so much fun! So, I thought it perfect to pull it all together with this photo of some of the remaining flowers & the tea.

It's easy to lose yourself in the drudgery of life, especially when it all comes at you at once. I'm thankful to have found things to pull me through these times.

Happy Love Thursday!