STORYTIME TAPESTRY

The Newsletter devoted to spreading love and cultural awareness throughout the world

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Special Treat ??“ From Me

Feb 9, 2006

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Tea, a Simple Foundation of Life

Carol Roach, M.Ed, B.A

The texture of my foundation is transmutable.?  A strange way to start a piece I know, but it was the word that came to me as I began to make my first cup of tea of the morning. In America the beverage of choice is coffee, but for many Canadians such as myself, tea, the antecedent of our British heritage, is the beverage of choice.

Today, I purposely linger over the teabag before I introduce it to the hot steaming water.?  It is a wonder how a little square paper package containing this heavenly brew can mean so much to me.?  I examine the packaging, a rough porous paper, though I am not sure what it is, it resembles cheesecloth and also rice paper, but I will leave that aspect up to the chemists of the world to decipher.?  For now I am content just to look at this paper and to drink in the wonderful aroma of the tea that is within.?  For the first time I notice a little design crafted onto the paper.?  The paper at first glance appears strong almost sterile, yet it is not, it is multifaceted, a metaphor for life.?  Strength and gentleness, sterility and beauty are contained within the same packaging.

I remember the days of my youth.?  As a young child, I was very nervous around people I did not know.?  My fear and anxiety extended beyond the home to my elementary school years.?  I was so nervous I used to vomit every morning before going to school.?  My stomach was always queasy.?  I could not eat breakfast.?  I would bring it back up.?  My grandmother tried everything and the only thing that I kept down was tea.?  So from the tender age of six-years-old, I became an avid tea drinker.? 

Just like British children, a continent away, this Canadian girl depended upon the rich, strong, robust flavour of tea as her daily beverage of choice.?  For me, tea meant comfort, security, love, and a way to help me battle the fears of the day.? 

I return to the present and drop my teabag into the hot steamy water.?  Today more than ever, I yearn for its homey flavour and for the magical properties that transform my life.?  I remember the famous worlds of Eleanor Roosevelt, the great American first lady who said: A woman is like a tea bag. You never know how strong she is until she gets into hot water. I revel at how true these words really are for me.

I was a child who was very afraid of the world, my daily cup of tea, made me strong; it helped me to deal with the overwhelming pressures of the school day.

Today I am battling some very heavy issues, which at quick glance seem as insurmountable as those of my childhood.?  But like the teabag, I do get stronger in hot water.?  I do transform from a frightened child to a self confidence woman who can take on the issues of life as they come to me.?  Like Eleanor Roosevelt, and my beloved grandmother, I know that my foundation is solid, my experiences have taught me well and I am brave enough, strong enough, and courageous enough to handle all that life offers me.? 

Carol Roach

winterose@videotron.ca

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A Native of Montreal, Quebec, Carol is a graduate of Concordia, and McGill University.?  She holds a bachelor in psychology and a Masters in counselling psychology.?  Carol Roach is a published writer and newsletter editor.?  You can purchase her book: Picking up the Pieces: A Woman's Journey at www.publishamerica.com, or www.amazon.com.?  You can also go to your local bookstore and order it there as well.?  Carol??™s second book: Angels Watching Over is currently looking for a home. Stay tuned for details.? 

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If you are interested in other stories feel free to join her newsletter: Storytime Tapestry at: http://subs.zinester.com/98907 , or email her directly at winterose@videotron.ca and she will be glad to accommodate you.?  Carol enjoys email and responds to every inquiry.

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