Vacation at Home

Tea With Gloria
Photographs by Gloria Strohm

 

Flowers at Farmer's Market

It’s the way she makes me feel – special, cared for, pampered, safe, celebrated.  She creates a special world. The everyday world of food and eating and sitting at a table comes alive; it’s fun, its electric, enchanting!  All the details and her eye for beauty transform everyday life.  They exalt me.  I feel engaged.  I want to be there. 


Luscious Pre-Diced  Strawberries

There were tiny pink bowls of finely diced strawberries with a little pansy tucked in the side; a pitcher of ice water with floating lemons and limes, mint and strawberries; baguette sandwiches as alluring as those behind a Paris window, arranged prettily on a tiered tea thing with a small wedge of spanakopita, quiche tartlet and a mushroom in scalloped pastry for each of us. 

 

 

Then she brought out boiling water and poured it in a French press and pushed down jasmine tea leaves.  The scent was heavenly.  I changed my mind, of course I wanted some!  She presented me with an exquisite teacup, lined with delicate blue flowers and a gold rim and carefully poured the tea from its own fluted glass pitcher.  Lovely . . .enchanting . . .heart-calming.

 

Ok, that’s the food.

 But it was the stories that animated the whole scene and put fire in my heart.  I leaned forward, fascinated by her life.  She talked about life in her 20’s in New York City with two business partners and lawsuits at a theater production company. 

She talked about her relationship with Jack, her new husband and how they fully relish their time together; creating a sanctuary of love, connection and hospitality.  Their love is big enough to include all of us, too.  They savor their precious weekends and evenings after work, driving to the farmer’s market in Occidental every Friday evening, marking the weekend with flair.  We went with them one weekend and had a blast!  (See prior posting).

Wildflower Bakery, Bohemian Highway





They entertain at that same table I sat at for tea – love and laughter and connection are theirs.  They even have a pet bunny, Dolly, quiet and sweet, you barely know she’s even there, and then you feel a slight movement and she’s at your feet.  I hear she has a tiny sister now, Thumper. Dolly is not sure how she feels about that yet!

Dolly and Thumper

I’m inspired!  Being with Gloria not only inspired me to go the thrift stores and find pretty teacups and give a tea for my girlfriends; it also has illumined what I already do to make the everyday special.  Being with her has revealed my gifts, too.  Isn’t that just a special person who can do that?  We never forget those people in our lives.  We remember how we feel about ourselves when we’re with them. 

She has given me an opening in the way I see myself.  I am pretty good at creating experiences.  I’m inspired to try my hand with an everyday experience like food.  I can experiment.  I can pay attention to what lifts my heart.  Tea with Gloria ripples into concentric circles growing and expanding toward the future.