Not that tea groupies like Virginia need an excuse to consume more favorite teas (and try new ones) but January is National Hot Tea month. As such, today Virginia is sharing a favorite past blog post about teabags, teacups and all kinds of women.
“A woman is like a tea bag. You never know how strong she is until she gets into hot water.” Eleanor Roosevelt
My sister sent a special card with this quote on it. As an avid tea drinker, I brew pots and cups of tea all day long: green teas, black teas, rooibos and herbal teas. My stash of over 60+ teas fills an entire cabinet. Even though I try to use them up, there are always so many interesting teas to try whilst gadding about (and we must keep tea businesses thriving.)
Some tea snobs only drink loose leaf tea, but I’m an equal opportunity tea drinker utilizing loose leaf AND tea bags depending on the time of day, mood or whatever. So, this quote got me thinking about women, teabags, and teacups.
There are many different kinds of teacups, just like there are many different kinds of women: shy, authoritative, introverts, extroverts, reticent, magnanimous, leaders, servers, thinkers, doers, tall, short, thin, traditionally-built, well-rounded, well-grounded, flighty…
Some of us are fragile, like this china tea cup. (Note the rose!)
Yet, when boiling water pours into the fragile cups of our lives, we make strong tea.
Like my Mama – so fragile, yet she demonstrated incredible determination and strength as she took care of our bedfast quadriplegic Papa for so many years.
This is one of Mama’s porcelain cups, a treasured memory of countless shared teatimes. Like her, it’s so very beautiful. It’s also a reminder of how she loved blue birds and appreciated the beauty of creation: a conscious choice that can elevate our minds and spirits, especially when times are tough.
Some of us are like this sturdy, favorite hand-pottered mug. Unique. Like turtles on a fence post we may be placed somewhere not of optimal choosing, but the teabags of our lives give strength to others when tempests arise.
We women are a diverse bunch, like this Kenyan cup and saucer from a tea set made by women in Nairobi. When the disparate parts of our lives tear us apart, we can drown in our sorrows, or swirl them together into something beautiful for God and for others. We can choose joy, even when suffering limits the strength of our teabags.
And some of us are just ordinary, like this Spode tea cup I use every morning. It’s a little cracked around the edges and well worn over many years, yet it’s still a beautiful cup. That’s the thing – we women come in all shapes, sizes and hues, yet most of us lead ordinary lives. As the hot water of life’s challenges steep us, we may get a little cracked around the edges, but in time we can find we are stronger because of what we have endured.
We may be ordinary, yet extraordinary, because …we are WOMEN!
grace, peace & teacup tempests
Virginia : )
Roses in the Rubble 
I want to come for tea…
Carol-Jo, you are always welcome for tea anytime! 🌷☕️🌷
I love this post. I love my teapots and tea cups but alas no one to share my tea with. Im a rooibos or tetley tea drinker. I got used to tetley tea in India. My german friend’s sends is their fruity tea… Such a treat. Wish you were neatr so that i could share with you.
Ps, those crochet tea cosies for the teapots? I crochet them. 💐🌸🌺
Wish you could transport here for teatime! It’s fun pulling out special cups & teapots (& the excuse to make scones & baked treats), but I enjoy (multiple) pots of tea on my own everyday, too. I’m a huge green tea drinker (many varieties) & love black teas (but had to cut back to 2 cups/day) & rooibos in the evenings. Your crocheted tea cozies sound lovely! Blessings & hugs! 🍃🌷☕️🌷🍃
Pingback: @Tempests in Teacups — Roses in the Rubble… Tea is good for you…a reblog | paddypicasso
Namaste Virginia 🙂
A wonderful infusion of analogical writing with flavour to savour in every line to suit the spice and seasoning of every woman.
Grace, peace & teacup tempests.
Namaste 🙂
DN
Thank you, Dewin. I like what you said that every woman has spice & seasoning – a unique blend for each & everyone of us (however swirly our teacup tempests may be.)
Blessings!!💨 🍃🌟☕️🌟🍃💨
My pleasure Virginia, thank you for teapots, tempests, and teacup sorcery, Namaste 🙂
The patternation on our tea-cup is only aesthetic, tis what swirls in our heart that determines our unique flavour 🙂
Very much enjoyed the choice of graphics at the end of your comment, thank you.
Enjoy a pleasant evening, have a wonderful week.
Brightest Blessings, Namaste 🙂
DN
💨🍃☕️🍃💨
Namaste 🙂
DN
Such lovely and colorful tea cups Virginia. I just have green tea at the moment.
Arlene, I’m a huge green tea groupie. Started drinking it while cutting back on black tea years ago – now, really like so many varieties especially a Garden rose blend I savor on Sundays. Teatime blessings!🍃 🌷☕️🌷🍃
Oh it’s nice to know that Virginia. Green tea is anti-oxidant. I love the many flavours of Twining.
🍃💨☕️💨🍃
You have an awesome collection of tea cups and mugs! Loved the colors!
Thanks, GH. This tea groupie thinks tea in fun cups tastes better? LoL! Teatime blessings! 🍃🌷☕️🌷🍃
Same blessings to you too🤗🤗
🍃🤗☕️🤗🍃
Tea-riffic post, V. [I wasn’t the first to think of that, just the lamest to be the first to post it. ;->]
LoL, Tim! I like ‘tea-riffic’ teatimes (any excuse to make scones & baked treats inclusive.) Teatime blessings! 🍃🍰☕️🍰🍃
Beautiful tea cups, Virginia. I have a little collection of them as well…too bad we don’t live close by otherwise I’ll be there for an afternoon tea! Enjoy 🙂 ❤
Wish you could transport here for teatime, Patty! It’s so fun pulling out special cups & pots. Makes teatime (& drinking tea, something I do all day long) an occasion for joy. Teatime blessings! 🍃🌷☕️🌷🍃
Such a beautiful post! I have a thing for small teacups with saucers. They’re just so pretty! I used to collect teapots but most of them broke over the years. 😔
I collected small china cups & saucers for my precious Mama, but my weakness is for hand-pottered cups & mugs. ‘Twas a blessing finding special pottery sets during overseas postings & travels- makes tea taste better, methinks! Teatime blessings, Michele! 🍃🌷☕️🌷🍃