A Goodbye Tea

This week the girls and I hosted a small tea party for a friend who is moving halfway across the country. We wanted an opportunity to say goodbye and to express our gratitude for her friendship by putting together a gathering in her honor.  

 

Though I have little natural decorating ability, I like to try and make the house look nice when we have friends over for tea, so I got out our lovely teapot and teacups, our nice dishes, and our candlesticks.  I then went outside to see if there was anything left in the garden with which I could make a small floral arrangement.  Don't look too closely at the picture. I am certainly no florist. I did manage, however, to put together something with a bit of color (and a lot of fragrance - I used tarragon in the greenery - ha ha!).  We served scones with homemade plum jam and serviceberry sauce. The girls brought fresh fruit and coffee cake. A meat and cheese tray completed our snack assortment.  It was simple, but lovely.

This was such a little thing, but it got me to thinking about community, friendships, and making time for people in general. So many these days claim they are too busy to meet with friends or to make new friends, but it is so important that we do. Having friends and community help us to think beyond ourselves. Helping a friend by watching their children while they shop, by sending a card for their birthday, or by bringing a meal when there is an illness in the family are simple things we can do to be a good friend and to cultivate community.

What is a post like this is doing in a blog called "Prepped Living"?  The simple answer is that hospitality, welcoming visitors to your home, is part of homemaking. The more practical, and perhaps more crass, answer is that creating community is an important part of your preparedness plan.  Should you ever find yourself in difficulty, whether it be a personal challenge or a worldwide problem, having a community of people you trust will not only be helpful, but a great comfort as well.