My title is purposeful, and written exactly as I wish it, just incase you were wondering. Today, I want to talk about how being a "stay at home" mother has changed my view of hospitality, and how tea time has been a blessing to me.

Like many young women my age, I have worked outside of the home. I have been working in some manner from the time that I was 12 years old, and I joined the force of working tax payers at the age of 17. During other times of my "stay at home" experience, I have worked during the night in an effort to aide our family in paying the bills. I have had some really tired feet, a sore back, and chapped hands. Whether out of neccessity or weariness, my interaction with other women dramatically declined in my adulthood, and the relationships that I did manage to keep had suffered a great deal.

Things are different now, and I live at a slower pace. It isn't that I do not work, because I work harder inside the home than I ever had in any sales position. However, I am the one who structures my days, and I have made a point to leave behind craziness in an effort to have more warmth in my life. One of the ways that I have found to "warm me up" has been .....well.....with tea.

I am sure that many women think of dainty china, volumous skirts, and stiff manners when they think of "tea time". I welcome you to my kitchen, to experience MY 'tea time'. While I don't have fine china, I do have old stonewear tea cups that my grandma gave me a few years ago, and their matching saucers. No, it isn't a waste of a little plate, I would tell you, as I set my spoon on my saucer. You see, I take honey in my tea, and it just wouldn't be polite to dirty a lady's table with a brown puddle, would it? *laughs* Whether you have fine dishes or styrofoam cups, it doesn't matter. To think so would be missing the point entirely.

How many of us mothers are lacking in adult conversation? I can't speak for you, but I know that I am, and I just can't sit around and wait until my daughter is an adult. Some would say, "what about your husband", but only if they have never met him. Am I the only woman whose mate would give her an odd look or fall asleep if she tried to discuss laundry detergents or (dare I say?) emotions?? What I am getting at is that a large percentage of women are social creatures. We want to identify with other women who share our passions. We want to have someone with whom we can identify and truly be a woman around. I've never had any of these types of interactions with anyone while shopping, paying bills, attending sporting events, etc. However, I have found a marvelous way to invite people into my life, and make a pointed effort to invest myself in them also. We have the "I", and I have the "tea". *wink*

When you think of the hospital, I bet that you automatically think of sick and injured people. When I think of hospitality, I think of the same thing. On a very personal level, I ponder the ways in which I can be enriched by the company of other women. It may simply be the company, and sometimes the conversation that is healing to my heart. One day it will be reconnecting with a relative whom I haven't taken the time to honestly speak with in a long time. I can nurish my relationships with my siblings, showing them that I enjoy having them around just for the sake of their presence. The posibilities are endless. On the other side of the coin, I am opening the door for a deeply touching ministry. Every time that I sit down to tea with a woman, I am devoting myself to knowing her, and listening to her. For that space of time, she has the attention that she may be longing for, and someone who is eager to hear her tales and comfort her when times are tough. In taking the time to really invest yourself in someone, even if it is only 20 minutes of your time being devoted, it goes a long way.

Aside from the benefits of renewing and reviving friendships, this also gives the hostess a way of entertaining new friends and exposing them to new experiences. The greatest thing of all is that once you make a solid connection with someone and they feel important, this opens so many avenues for sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ. Can you think of a better gift that you could show someone than the love of God, and His comfort in times of need?

Tips For Tea:

• If you have tea cups, keep them within easy reach. They do no good while packed away or hidden in the back of a cluttered cupboard.
• Things do not have to be fancy. Any cup capable of holding hot liquids will do. Just remember that dressing up your table can be just as energizing as putting on a nice dress.
• If you do not want tea bags cluttering up the scene, try placing tea bags in the filter holder of a coffee pot, and let the machine do the brewing for you. If tea parties is really something that appeals to your tastes, you could even seek out a real tea pot! *laughs*
• Remember, tea is versatile. During the warm months, preparing a pitcher of iced tea can be quite refreshing.

Raisin Tea Scones

2 1/3 cup. sifted cake flour**

2 1/2 teaspoon double-acting baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons sugar

6 tablespoons shortening

5 tablespoons milk or light cream

2 eggs

1/2 cup of raisins

Start heating oven to 450 degrees. Into a bowl, sift flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, and eggs. Cut in shortening until has the consistence of corn meal (I just use a fork). Add milk. Fold in raisins.

On a lightly floured surface, roll dough 1/2 inch thick. You can then cut out 3" squares and cut them into two triangles each. Or, if you want to make it even easier, cut out shapes using a biscuit cutter (usually about 2.5" or so) or even use a cap from a large spice bottle. Arrange on a greesed cookie sheet. If you would like for your scones to have a more glossy appearance, then separate one egg before starting. Add the yolk to the recipe, and retain the white to brush over your scones, before baking.

**If you have no cake flour (which I never do), then substitute two tablespoons of your flour with cornstarch.