Tea With a Friend is the Best Kind of Tea

I had a friend stop by yesterday to drop off donations for an outreach which I am a part of (His Hands & Feet Ministry).  The outreach was low on dishes, so my friend was kind enough to donate some dishes she no longer was using.  Before she came, I looked in my cupboard to see what I could mix up that would be easy but tasty and found Beer Bread Mix from Tastefully Simple.  I invited her in for a cup of hot tea, and we sat at my kitchen table and chatted until the bread was baked.  Then we cut into the bread (which was very tasty, by the way--thanks Tastefully Simple for a yummy and easy treat).  The bread did need to bake for 50-55 minutes, but we had no problem chatting for that length of time.  Actually, we ended up sitting there and chatting about anything and everything for 3 hours!  It seemed like it had been only 15 minutes--time flies when you are having tea with a friend!  My husband teased me later when he saw a beer can sitting on the counter for the recycling bin.  He said, "I see you had a beer while I was at work."  He knows I hate the taste of beer! (Sorry beer lovers, but I'll take tea over beer any day, but it tasted great in the bread!)

The reason I write this is because I told my friend as she was leaving that I felt like it was an old-fashioned visit, that I could remember my mom inviting neighbors or family or friends in for a cup of hot tea and all of us sitting and chatting for a long time, and I remember loving that.  It is a very fond memory.  I don't feel that happens much any longer because we are all too busy.  It was really a treat, and I hope to be able to lighten my schedule whenever possible to enjoy an old-fashioned visit with a cup of hot tea with a good friend! My friend's and my visit yesterday is and will in the future be a fond memory!  Tea with a friend is surely the best kind of tea!