Ladies Tea

When you don't get out of bed, here's the kind of opportunity you miss: a high tea fundraiser for Community Emergency Services. Of course, you can always just send them a check, but you'll miss an opportunity to savour goodies provided by the ladies of Bethlehem Lutheran Church. The lavender cream scones were rich and flavorful. You could eat them alone or slather them with whipped cream and strawberry jam. The cranberry scones were a different texture, moist and sandy with a crunchy sugared top, also perfect for cream and jam. But, of course, we started with the sandwiches: cucumber topped with a large prawn and dill, or cucumber with a creamy garlic hummus, chicken salad on white triangles, and a cream puff filled with ham salad just like the ones my Mom made for my graduation reception ever so many years ago! There was the traditional sandwich loaf and last, but my favorite, olive rolls. We were encouraged to take be generous with ourselves, and most of us followed the suggestion. It is so easy to be a little more brutal than necessary with ourselves and it was liberating to be supported in our attempts to be more gentle, more loving to the one we see in the mirror every morning. The poppy seed bread was the perfect balance of sweetness, the lemon curd tarts were the kind that puckered your lips for a second, and the flakey pecan tarts were filled with chewy caramel and nuts. Brownies melted in your mouth. Fresh strawberries were dipped in milk chocolate. Cherry filled cheesecakes,  more selections than I could fit on my plate. Many women had dressed in vintage dresses and accessories with hats and white gloves. We looked like a flower garden of colors and textures. We had a special black tea flavored with black currant to accompany our meal and a musical backdrop. People took turns with a portrait photographer to remember the day, we all left the tables with smiles on our faces and happiness in our bellies.