Bestirring memories
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Greetings!
A uthor Alexandra
Stoddard has said that tea bestirs memories.
So it did for me as I spoke of tea and tea parties with this month's
Quest
Maker, Gay Geiger Hughes.
My heart's memory took me back to May 30, 1998, when I hosted a garden
tea
party to honor my mom, Lucille, who had died in May just the year
before.
For this party, I imagined a leisurely weekend afternoon in her favorite
time,
the month of lilacs and peonies. Dressed in their party finery, the
girls in my
family, my mother's friends and neighbors, along with friends of mine who
had
known her, too, would gather in my home, on the porches, about the
garden. I
imagined. . .
Dry sherry sipped from crystal glasses. Delicate bone china tea cups
filled
with aromatic tea poured from exquisite teapots. Dainty tea sandwiches spread with savory
fillings.
Delicious scones served with clotted cream and jams. Delectable cakes
enjoyed
with just one more cup of tea. And everywhere, extravagant,
voluptuous, fragrant
peonies. And it came to be, with the help of my family.
My dad baked the sandwich bread using special molds my mother had bought
me
after my first tea party. While making the sandwiches in Lucille's
kitchen, we
shared stories of my mother's elegance and her grace.
The evening before the tea party, my close friend Christine, the
daughter of my
parents' best friends and my godparents, arrived to help. As I baked,
she
arranged china, set out tables, ironed linen tablecloths. We, too,
shared
stories of our mothers.
The next day's weather was perfect for a garden tea party. My sisters
Kim and
Beth arrived early with their husbands to lend a hand: arranging tables
and
chairs outside, frosting teapot cookies for favors, setting out food.
Our
mother was very much on our minds. How she would have loved to be at
this tea
party in body as she was in spirit.
The party was everything I had hoped for. A
chance to thank everyone who had
the year before helped our family during the darkest May of our lives.
An
opportunity to celebrate the woman we had loved. An occasion to toast all the women
in our lives. A moment to honor what is beautiful and
graceful
in all of us through the metaphor of tea.
I am fortunate
that the Gay Grace Mobile Tearoom is just a short drive away from me, no
matter where it parks. One Saturday or Sunday this spring, that is
where
you will find me. For I know that every sip of tea will bestir memories
of my mom
and tea parties gone by.
PS. Gay's favorite flowers
are sweet peas. "My mother's father was British and he used to grow the
most beautiful sweet peas. I have such strong memories of them. They
were so
fragrant."
Click here to see photos from that garden tea party accompanying this essay on my blog.
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Meet Quest Maker Gay Geiger Hughes
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 I first learned about Gay from one of my mentors, Valerie Young of Changing Course. However, my connection to Gay is a double one. Her sister-in-law Wendy Geiger and I both attended Valerie Young's Out of the Job Box consulting program two years ago. Wendy knows how passionate Valerie gets when she finds someone with an overwhelming passion and sent Valerie an email describing Grace's passion for tea and where it has taken her. In turn, Valerie thought Gay would be a great Quest Maker and let me know. She was right!
When she was a young girl, Gay fell in love with tea at formal Sunday
dinners at her grandmother's home. Gay's love for high tea was kindled
by a close friend who shared her love of all things English, which in
turn, led Gay to host tea parties for family and friends. Several years
ago when her daughter left for college, Gay decided "now was the time"
to pursue her passion for all things tea by opening very own tea room so
she could share her love of tea with others.
She has her tea room, albeit in a different way from how she first
envisioned it.
In this month's interview, you'll learn how Gay's quest has put her in
the driver's seat. |
April Journal Sparker
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With its questions and exercises, a Journal Sparker aims to spark reflection or inspire you to take the next step on your journey to where you want to be.
Do what you love. Know your own bone; gnaw at it,
bury it, unearth it, and gnaw it still.
-Henry David Thoreau
In this month's Journal Sparker, you'll find both an exercise on how to "unearth and gnaw" on ways to put you in the driver's seat of your own dream and an info sheet on two valuable resources Gay took advantage on her own quest. We've created a cover sheet if you'd like to begin a Journal Sparker binder.
Download the Journal Sparker Cover |
| Do you know a Quest Maker, a woman who has realized her dream?
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Do you know a woman in her 40s or beyond who declared "now it's my
time," and realized her dream? Perhaps she's a friend, a family member, an
acquaintance. Perhaps it's you! If she or you would like to considered for an upcoming Quest Maker column in the Chronicles, please send me an email with a brief description and the best way to reach her.
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| Need an idea spark to ignite your own quest?
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Have you decided that now it's your time to claim your own realm and undertake your own voyage of discovery? Except you're not exactly sure how (or even where) to start?You may need an Idea Sparker to help you figure it out. That's where I can help. Learn more about me at Your Next Quest. Take the next step with a free 15-minute consultation with me. We'll talk about where you are now and where you want to be and how I can help you get there. Start your journey now by sending me an email or by calling me at 781.583.7185.Together, we can start you on the journey to where you want to be!
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