Thankful

Thankful – hot tea with lemon

It’s early morning and I’m sitting quietly sipping my daily tea – Black Dragon Pearl of course. I love this hour of the day. The house is so still. Thanksgiving is tomorrow and I’m prompted to think about what makes me thankful.

I once heard someone say that gratitude is the true secret to happiness. I believe this is true. I know I should be thankful everyday, not just this day. Too often I forget this.

I will be making and spending Thanksgiving dinner with my family, for which I am grateful. The extraordinary thing about family and dear friends is that our hearts and minds hold each others’ stories, the ones that bring laughter, eye rolls and sometimes tears. We are forever a part of each other. They have helped shape who we are today.

The opening monologue in Gone Baby Gone expresses this so poignantly:

I always believed

it was the things you don’t choose

that makes you who you are.

Your city.

Your neighborhood.

Your family.

People here take pride in these things.

Like it was something

they’d accomplished.

The bodies around their souls.

The cities wrapped around those.”

Our family and friends wrap us with love and support everyday of our lives, even when they are not with us. Our selves, the cities and countries in which we live, all come together to shape our lives. I sometimes think how different a person I might be had I been born to another family or place.

But no matter where we come from, we all share the same desire  – to love and be loved. To be appreciated for what we do and who we are.

For everyone who takes a moment to read this, may you be thankful you live in a place with the freedom to do so. Take the time to find the blessings that surround you in your world and in your relationships. Tell someone thank you and appreciate them for who they are, not just for what they do.

I realize too, that I am thankful to all those who have made this day possible for me. Beyond my family, there are the farmers and artisans from around the world who help create all the spices, teas, wines and foods that nourish and sustain.

Thank you, my readers, for continuing to read my posts and being a part of this tea journey. My best wishes to you for a wonderful and thankful holiday!

Mary Ann

P.S. My biggest mission when I set up Life Is Better With Tea was to make other people as passionate about great tea as I am. And that is still my biggest mission today.  If you wish to join me in this mission, you can sign up below for more about tea.