December 2 Giving From the Heart

On Giving Tuesday, I saw the Giving Tree filled with wishes, I grabbed a random middle-of-the-tree wish for a disabled veteran. It was a request for a CVS gift card. Glancing at the other wishes, it appeared they were all requests for gift cards: Walmart, Shop Rite, Walgreens, Kohls...

I stood there a moment and my mind raced back to years when I schlepped from store to store to shop for a family while my own gift-shopping waited in the wings. I smiled remembering that Christmas when I shopped for diapers and onesies things for the local shelter without a clue I would be a grandparent before the next Christmas!  So much work and if I am honest, so much fun gifting things we hoped others would like. 

As I drove home, my mind wandered to thoughts about impersonal gift cards and to highly impersonal "green" gifts to my family. Then, my plans exploded into something bigger than the monetary giving of this day that will take up every spare minute of the next few weeks and still leave me feeling frustrated because I will not likely get it all done! 

I decided to include "something from my heart" with the CVS card and every other gift! I pulled into the driveway, thought for a bit, and got to work creating with vigor that has languished for a long time. 

SOL25 December 2 Perspective Matters

 

"How did it get so late so soon? 

It's night before it's afternoon. 

December is here before it's June. 

My goodness how the time has flewn. 

How did it get so late so soon?” Seuss

I always think of Seuss on these really dark days when the Christmas lights are still few and far between and the Hanukkah candles are still waiting for their chance to shine. The darkness steals minutes of precious sunlight each day and to be honest, it can be pretty depressing. 

Yet, the the prolonged hours of darkness also yield magical moments of nature-provided beauty in the morning as well as in the evening, if keep your mind and your eyes open to the show. 

"Look at that sky," she screeched, "it's so happy the day is over, it is putting on a light show!" I'm reminded, on so many levels, perspective matters.

November 2025 Gratitude

 

Long ago, I had consumed a pumpkin-coffee, merged lanes, and filled bags with toys after unloading the dishwasher, sweeping the floor, and scraping ice off my car before 8 AM on Black Friday.  

This year, I had a cup of tea, walked the park, and took trash to the curb. There is nothing in the stores calling and the obscene prices will give me the same pause when I shop online, on Monday or Tuesday or whenever. So I  find myself reflective in a morning of extended-day gratitude as I prep for the always busy month of December.

In Random Order: Gratitude

Grands, who still hug with vigor

Children who acknowledge my love,

Medical miracles giving more days,

Family who share lives, loves, passions,

Social media images that connect, inspire,

Critical thinking, good intentions, forgiveness,

Friends who still connect from afar,

Pools filled with friends, hope, joy

Shopping carts in online stores,

Supporting this chapter.

November 2025 Red Sky Warning

Early in the morning, I walk to start my heart and then to assure its rhythm is in sync with the day. This week, the "red skies in the morning" have been notable, so I snapped this photo to remember. The ages old adage of "red sky in the morning, sailors take warning," echoes in my head as I walk without a coat on November mornings! 

Perhaps, this is a reminder to think of others?

Traveling in parts where the weather is not so wonderful?
Suffering from pain and anguish this holiday season?

Alone and or lonely as they work through life?

Hungry, unemployed, facing deportation?

Scared, worried, afraid?

Even as the big balloons still fill the NYC skies.

Even as the turkeys still fly off the shelf.

Even if we are envisioning different paths to a future.

I give thanks for the "warning," and slow down to notice others.

SOL 25 November 25 Passion for Life

I am thankful all year through for the TWT and their reminder to stop and reflect about the slices that make this gift of life interesting and memorable!  I wish you all a peaceful and safe holiday weekend.

Last weekend, I headed to the Putnam County Symphony where a group of dedicated musicians somehow find time to practice their violins, cellos, and oboes, without parental reminders and without pay amidst their busy lives. In spite of laundry and emails calling them, they work together to create beautiful music. It was amazing and a testament to the kind of enthusiasm that inspires humans to reach outside their comfort zones.  

Perhaps it is a similar fervor that

Propels runners to head into the darkness

In search of sunrises, serotonins and endorphins?

Drives painters and writers to risk hunger, comforts,

While they create masterpieces from their hearts and heads?

Moves gardeners into the heat of the day or into the driving rain,

To seize the moment when their plants and flowers might flourish?

Empowers athletes to forgo sleep, overlook pain, accept discomforts,

With a destination of a personal best in show for that moment in time?

Endows humans with unimaginable power to reach for a cure, accept risks,

Torture their bodies and minds in search of more days, more experiences, more life?

Grants the vigor needed to head to work when we are exhausted, overwhelmed?

Empowers the exhausted to be caregivers, providers for those who need support?

Yields the energy for cooking, baking, and transporting crowds this week!

November 2025 Landfill Santa

I started a post earlier about how we need to be careful about what we say; then, I drove past this, a blow up that served one or two seasons but will forever be relegated to garbage. In light of increased energy costs, increased holiday decoration costs, and increased landfill, let's rethink blow ups. Our world is too precarious for wasting hot air on a puffed up balloon that will self destruct.

Hundreds of dollars, spent,

Big, box, blow up sits lifeless,

Image of Santa once,

Nylon remnants in landfill

Forever, and ever.

November 20, 2025 Fat or No Fat

When my pediatrician urged low fat milk, I bought it even though my children, who consumed the "real stuff" at my parents' home asked for whole milk. I will admit that sometimes, when I poured the 1% milk into the cereal bowl, it did look like water. I served eggs and beef infrequently and fried food very, very rarely. We switched to olive oil when that was urged as a healthier choice and avoided processed foods almost entirely. Yet, these days, my cholesterol is "borderline" even with my even more careful diet that has made cheese and meat products a rare treat!  

These days, my children choose whole, organic milk for their children.  It looks better on cereal and I sure hope we have things right this time. So when I read headlines like yesterday's NYTimes asking about if full fat is healthier I cringe. I am a failure as a mother for sure in this department even though I shopped the outside ring of the store (fresh produce, meats, dairy) and never brought Little Debbie or her friends home. 

To My Children:

Sorry,

I tried,

I really tried

To put healthy options

In fridge, on the table, 

To use fresh produce,

Fruits, to limit 

Fats, sweets, 

Sorry

SOL 25: November 18: Imagine What Might Be

One of the "perks" of writing slices about life is that you savor those moments that are just too special for forget. The other night, I went to the Westchester County Center, a nearly century old Art Deco, multiuse facility that hosts art shows, dog shows, ballets, Dancing with the Stars and a whole lot more!

Went to celebrate

Up close and personal with

Knick want-to-be basket-ballers

Snagging 3-pointers,

Longing for the ball

To land in the net

To be noticed

Where you can

Munch on hotdogs,

Cuddle with grands,

Get your ball signed

Imagine what might be

Dream big,

If you are turning double digits for the first time.

To my surprise

The Pacemakers 

Whose ages are inspirational

Provided half-time

Entertainment, dancing, 

Moving, shaking

To Tay-Tay, Queen,

Proudly sharing birth years with

Smiling crowds,

Reminders to

Imagine what might be

Dream big, even

If you have turned double digits many times!

 

Ethical ELA: Growing Miracles

Today’s Ethical ELA poem is a chance to reflect with gratitude us to spend time practicing gratitude.  This month's host, Mo, encouraged us to try a format called a Kenning which comes from Norse myths or legends. A Kenning uses two-word phrases as metaphors to describe something. 

I drafted a single poem that sums up my half-dozen grands who range from 3 to 10 years old. I am very grateful to be able watch them grow and change. 

Full-body huggers,

Chip munchers,

Marker magicians,

Videogame addicts,

Ice-cream consumers,

Jacket avoiders,

Pup huggers,

Gingerbread aficionados,

Avid swimmers,

Intense ball-handlers,

Unconditional loving

Growing miracles.

Ethical ELA: The Cortica Cup

This morning, Ethical ELA asks us to write a tanka or series of tankas telling us all about a favorite, or maybe least favorite, fall tradition. A tanka is a traditional Japanese poetic form of 31 syllables over 5 lines. The syllable count is 5/7/5/7/7. Usually there is a turn in the third line. I am sharing a tanka about the "Biggest Little Football Game," an annual tradition in upstate NY between Ithica College and Cortland State where the winner takes home a giant trophy, The Cortica Cup. I am not really a football person and to be honest, I held my breath with every tackle and clenched my teeth when every helmet hit the ground, but I embraced the excitement because my son was out on that field giving his all.

Freezing fingers, toes,

Swirling wind, picking up steam,

As the sun settles

Huddled under blankets, we

Embraced the Cortica Cup.

Our boy, dressed in red

Did his part to bring it home

I held my breath with

Every crashing helmet, 

Praying for a safe ending.

November 2025: Ethical ELA Hold Onto the Memories

This morning, Ethical ELA's prompt asks us to write a poem about cleaning! I have been doing a lot of "deep" cleaning getting rid of clothing and things I no longer need. Yet this prompt somehow makes me reflect on my cousins who lost all their "things" in the California fires last fall. This poem is dedicated to them and their experience, a reminder that it's the memories we make that matter, the rest is just "things."

At their magnificent home, high on a hill,

The old Victrola

Sat ready to host one of the old records that

Sat in my grandparents garage long before

The even older baby buggy sat, 

A reminder of when we were little, it

Sat sadly for months in Grandma's attic until we

Sat baby dolls, stuffed animals in it.

The old books, magazines, notecards,

Hand made and special, not ever to be seen again

Sat in boxes and bins

Sat on shelves waiting, not sure what for.

While near their enormous garden, 

Hosted lovingly grown fruits and flowers, we

Sat savoring the company, the memories we 

Sat, savoring each other, not the things.

Which were all gone in a flash of light, rolling

Down that hill last November,

But not the memories.

November 2025 Veterans, Too

Yesterday, one of my Two Writing Teacher blogging friends challenged me (and others) to write a 6-7 inspired poem.  So, here is a new poetry format, alternating lines of 6 and 7 syllables, inspired by Kim Johnson and fueled by kids who advocate for 6-7. Yesterday was also Veteran's Day and so I was thinking about my aunt who we now think was an Army Code Breaker in WWII. Her story is a reminder of all the support staff and family members who serve America alongside those on the front lines. 

Recruited from small schools,

Strong in math and languages ,

Promised uniforms, pay,

Solving code to find peace, hope,

They served, yet never shared,

No war stories at all,

Only evidence of

Secrets taken to the grave.

Silent veterans, lost.

One of many sad stories

Women, securing  peace

Thank you all for your service. 

A book about the Code Girls

https://www.amazon.com/Code-Girls-Untold-American-Breakers/dp/0316439894

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  www.britannica.comBombe | Code Breaking, History, Design, &…
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  www.wpr.orgWomen's Codebreaking Contributions To…
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SOL 2025: Standing Out and Fitting In

• If you are around kids for ANY length of time, you hear it randomly used as an interjection, an honor, and even a complaint. Teachers find it annoying and try to ban it, discourage it, or beg for meaning. (It has no meaning)
• I thought it was just local phenomena until I read that Dictionary.com made it their word of the year! Now I realize it has spread faster than Covid.
• I really do not think we should be surprised about the propagation of 6-7 and its cousin number-phrase, 41, or the sing-song way they are said!  These young folks are the grandchildren of those who crashed at someone's pad and listened to hip music.  These are the children of those who added phat and bling into their lexicon with as smile.
• The ONLY thing different about the 5-6 and 41 trend is that there is no real meaning! 
• Yet, there is something universal and timeless in the desire of people to both stand out from the old folks and fit in with their peers. This is at cheaper than Stanley cups and Ugg boots and without the hunt of Cabbage Patch Kids! Plus, it too will pass!
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November 8 2025 10 Years

It's been ten years which is long enough to have forgotten the sound of her voice and also the way she challenged most every thing I said. 

It's been long enough that I miss her confidence way more than the frustration when she took to her bed or slashed out at others.

These days I try to maintain a few of her traditions, like her Pilgrim candles, rather than focus on her perspectives.

After a decade, I focus on the good she did and the love she gave rather than on the anger when I forgot to acknowledge a for-her-important-date.

These days, I am glad I learned about the strength in a family, the grace of giving to others, and the power of forgiveness.  

November 2025 A Quiet, Deluxe Typewriter

 

"It's the very best day ever," the little one screamed as the new-to-them find came into view.  "Listen to this," they added banging ever so confidently on the aged keys with a gusto that I remembered even if my own typing memories are seared into the case of my baby blue electric version that wrote many a paper and earned degrees after valiantly preserving a few theses for posterity.

I found myself quickly doing a search this Royal could not have imagined, and found is a community savoring these dinosaurs. You can even get new ink ribbons in one day from Amazon!  There are also old manuals entirely online as well as You Tube videos detailing repairs of these relics. I found the Royal Quiet Deluxe was made from 1930 to 1959 and it was the first with a "magic margin!" Its cost of $80 seventy-five years ago (nearly $1000 today). Earnest Hemingway and Ian Fleming used these typewriters to do their magic.

There was a familiar ding at the end of each and every row from this thrift-store-find even after many decades of sitting in a basement!  I know Ken (whose name is emblazoned on the case) would be thrilled to know that his once very special typewriter has found a retirement job on the desk of someone weaned on laptops.

November 2025 The Last Farmer's Almanac

The news was almost lost, to me, amidst so many enormous problems aggravated by ongoing funding decisions that impact food, housing, flights, health and international peace. 

The reality is that most Americans are no longer managing farms even as the need for fresh, safe and healthy choices is more clear than ever before. 

The news hit me hard and made me think of those yellowed booklets that were always hanging around the bathroom or on the end table.

The reality is that I have never bought one, nor have I ever worried about the best day to plant my peas or prepare for the first frost! 

The news that after more than two centuries, the Farmer's Almanac, with its long range weather forecasts as well as wit and wisdom will disappear after the 2026 edition. 

The reality is that science and the internet will help most of us stay in touch with the weather, but I might just order one from the mega internet shopping site to 1) honor my grandfather who was a farmer or 2) acknowledge my loved ones who ARE farmers bringing fresh fruits and vegetables and the real magic of growing life to a suburban community,

November 2025 Light Amidst Darkness

The first week in November is shaped by Halloween hangovers and abbreviated days exacerbated by election stress. 

The leaves start falling faster and faster while the birds are migrating as if their lives depended on it. 

Winter coats come out of hiding while toes reluctantly go into hiding.

You can no longer deny that Thanksgiving is 21 days away, Hanukkah is 30 days away, and Christmas is 49 days away. 

Government as well as private employer shut downs have intensified financial, nutritional, and health care insecurities, while food costs are rising faster than the moon.  

I guess this is why tonight's light show as the sun was setting before it was even 5 pm was breathtakingly magnificent. Our eyes were directed to the heavens for light and hope.

October 2025: Scary Sights

Amidst

Leaves, gray

Skies, orange

Clad surgeons work

To secure branches 

Dangling over garages

While wind advisory lurks.

I hope this is the scariest 

Sight any of us sees this day.

It's "just" a quick tree trimming job, they assured me, and we need to get it done (after 5 reschedules due to weather). They started early this morning even before the day was fully awake and seriously, no goblin roaming on this day will be scarier then two men in orange coats hanging on for dear life over my garage! 

 

October 2025 Buy For $7.00

I went into ShopRite to replenish my Bigelow Green Tea With Mango because this lingering cold seems to be quelled by its antioxidant properties. I have made a lot of tea this week. I could rant about how few tea leaves are found in a tea bag these days (not as much as there used to be), but there is no way a single bag can make two cups of tea.  

Across from tea is the massively expensive cereal section where I notice, but rarely purchase. Yet, a sale tag caught my attention.  "Buy four for $7.00" it said proudly; however, "you must buy 4." 

I walked off thinking about how four, family sized boxes of Rice Chex would not only fill up my pantry, but would also last years past the expiration date.  I did acknowledge that for big families with large pantries, this was a bargain in an era when shopping is scary expensive. 

It was somewhere between the chicken thighs and melons where I had an epiphany and did the 180 turn back to the cereal aisle where I grabbed 12 boxes of sale cereal. I wasn't sure all would scan up at the mega sale price, but they did. I tucked them proudly in my trunk and brought them proudly to the local food bank.  

Perhaps, ShopRite raised all the other prices and is using this one bargain to make people like me feel they are getting a bargain? Perhaps, this is what Shop Rite wants those of us who no longer have a gaggle of hungry kids to feed to do? Perhaps, this is the start of a kinder and gentler era where Shop Rite and others stores are thinking about others?  

PS I went back for more today.  There were no more :(

Check out your store?

https://www.shoprite.com/sm/pickup/rsid/3000/circulars?srsltid=AfmBOopUgwg30-fkEV2xJRyHDP1TJWOGl7EqMq3-3ENid5nOtO1Tsz8v

SOL25 Life Is A Marathon

 

This weekend, he'll be heading again, to Staten Island where he'll line up, again, with over 50,000 others for another opportunity to wear out another pair of sneakers. I think its his 23rd time running through the boroughs in NYC in the hot, cold, rain; but, it really doesn't matter if I'm one or two off, its a lot of miles. He's done at least as many in Boston and more half marathons than I suspect he can even remember.

I always read the results to make sure he makes it across the finish line, even though I am pretty sure the real challenge is in the months and months of training and the many detours and challenges on the way to the starting line. 

I'll never know the glow of crossing that finish line after pushing my body to the limit; yet, I do know the feeling of getting up early to get in a swim or heading into the sunset to get a mile in after dinner. Those are good feelings that provide me with a weird sort of energy that might be called self-esteem even if there are no cheering crowds.

I wonder if the real challenge for Ultra Athletes as well as us trying to stay alive is something that happens on a day to day basis when someone laces up their shoes for a really long/short run walk/after a really long/hard day or when someone gives up a glass of wine/piece of cake for a glass of water or a protein shake?  I wonder if the real challenge is walking gingerly on a sprain/after surgery while waiting for healing or waiting to run until after the dishes are done or the 12ths inning of your son's game or after that last meeting of the day?

I'll be watching to make sure he crosses the finish line and I will remember that the real challenge is getting out of bed and to the starting line. I'll celebrate his accomplishment(s) as I reflect on the massive undertaking. The NYC Marathon is really a metaphor for life, which is all about showing up and pushing through the hard parts in order to find that glow.

I'll remember that for all of us, Life is a Marathon.

October 2025 Everyone Needs Food

"The free food gravy train is coming to an end," she offered just loud enough for us all to hear and without remorse after the customer at the front of the line's SNAP benefit card did not work. "Get a job, work harder."

My heart broke for the physically challenged customer who took out $10.00 and paid for a quart of milk and a box of Cheerios, clearly embarrassed at the comment and at miscalculating her remaining benefit. I was glad she had some cash. There was a part of me that wanted to scream at the audacity of anyone to criticize someone's misfortune. 

But, I really was not up for a fight, today, so I drove home thinking about the impact of the government shut down on this woman and so many others.

I thought about my mother-law's stories of "Uncle Frank" who long ago went into the Foundling system after their father died. There were no social protecting programs in those days, and clearly his future was determined by the need to care for children with a minimum wage job. Can you imagine how hard it would be to give up your child just so they could have food? 

I thought about children and elderly, frail and disabled who rely on such benefits. I thought about those recovering from addiction, those suddenly on their own, or struggling to find better jobs in a world where bad news comes regularly and food prices climb daily. 

I am sure there is fraud and waste in the system and absolutely support efforts to make sure those benefits are not squandered. Fix the waste, please. Yet, with an ongoing government shutdown putting such benefits on the line, we, as the most prosperous nation in the world, had better think about a system that has supported many struggling Americans since its inception after the Great Depression. 

To quote Ms. Rachel, "Nobody needs a billion dollars, but everyone needs food."

October 2025 Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire

I live where a closely watched election for Governor is perceived to be a predictor of the direction of the country. I am also near New York City and read about their hotly contested race for Mayor. I am hopeful that the critical comments and mean name-calling I hear are not a predictor of the direction of our country! 

We ask children and remind adults to, "think before you talk."  Clearly, these adults, ranging in age from 34 to 67, did not get the message.  Some recent quotes:

buses free for all, are you kidding.

                                I did things, you never had a job.

                                                            a snake oil salesman?

                                                                                     king of gentrifiers

                                                                                                       You kill people.

                                                                                                                      eliminate police

                                                                                                      he led a reign of terror

                                                                    you killed tens of thousands of people

                               You're under investigation right now

Liar, liar, liar, pants on fire

To be honest, I'm scared for my state and NYC and part of me just wants to say, "Liar, liar, pa

nts of fire."  Yet, the rational part of me will head to the polls shaking my head and blaming, at least in part, the LBJ 1964 commercial suggesting Goldwater should not be trusted with atomic bombs.  Hyperbole, perhaps even outright lying, has a long history in America. 

October 2025 You Don't Know What You've Got Until It's Gone

"Don’t it always seem to go that you don’t know what you’ve got ’til it’s gone?”

 Joni Mitchell

Long ago, I lived in a Washington suburb; thus, brothers, sisters, nieces and nephews came to pay tribute to the sights, including the White House. In the space of a few years, I explored Mount Vernon, Alexandria, and Georgetown.  I stood, in Arlington Cemetery, explored the Pentagon, and listened to Congress inside the Capitol.

During the January 6th occupation, I realized the Capitol would never be open to people again. I was sad that my own children and grandchildren would never know the long corridors infused with the history of our democracy.

Somehow, I never went inside the White House even though I had planned to do so. I always figured I would get there some day. 

This week, I realized I will never stand inside the White House.  I will not be invited into the grand new ballroom build in the image of Trump's Towers. I will not stand inside the People's House where the walls are infused with memories of the many men and women who worked there promoting women's rights, mental health, reading, and nature focused initiatives. Nor will my children, their children and your children.  

I guess you never miss what you had until it's gone, as Joni Mitchell sang long ago.

October 2025To Be Strong

I asked the little one to say he was sorry for hitting his sister, and he dug in his heels on that stairway, making a face that suggested his annoyance with me exceeded his anger towards his sister. He was willing to give up the movie rather than give in to my demand. I relayed the story to my writing group and we wondered IF the sister had been a silent aggressor and thus HE felt SHE should have apologized! Perhaps he was just standing his ground!

Then, we morphed into a discussion about times when WE forgave (or didn't forgive) someone without an apology. Oh my, the stories that we told ranged from borrowing shirts to taking large sums of money and even tales of adultery.  Some felt that you cannot fully forgive without an apology; while others felt that forgiveness, even without an apology, allows one to move forward. 

We referenced local politicians who apologize and those who move forward without reference to issues. We wondered if some see apologizing as an admission of wrong doing or sign of weakness?  

Gee, I was hoping for a real life writing prompt and what I ended up in was a metaphysical discussion of honesty, strength and weakness in the human spirit.  

 

October 2025 A Scary Line

This blog is focused on my own journey

As a reader and  writer.  These are my thoughts. 

I was in a long line at the money machine when I noticed the other long line. There were cars on both sides of the street, again. There were mothers, fathers, grandparents, and children of all ages there, again. Some wore their winter coats in the 40 degree temps but many huddled under blankets probably surprised by the chill. The line was reminiscent of those in 2020, even if those in line were unmasked and standing shoulder to shoulder. There were strollers and walkers as well as wheel chairs and market baskets. It was cold and I knew why they were there even as I was at the machine that spits out bills.

I wondered how many were impacted by the federal government shut down and how many were impacted by a local factory that shut down recently? I wondered if there were construction workers and landscapers, recently let go? I wondered how many were there because local programs such as Meals on Wheels have been reduced? I wondered if the line was longer today of if I was watching a surge?

I thought about the line as I shopped for kale and potatoes and as I read about the record, 38 trillion dollar debt. I thought about increasing inflation and slower wage growth that comes with such debt as well as a clip of the massive East Wing demolition project in Washington.  I felt sad and even a bit sick as I ate by own leek and potato soup with a fresh kale salad and wondered about the impacts of food insecurity on the health and well being of both young and old in my community. 

I hope there is a way out of this messy stage of life where so many are grateful for the boxed mac and cheese, white bread, and cereal, mainstays of food pantries. 

I thought about the blow up goblins on my street as I swept the porch in the setting sun that frankly are no where near as scary as that long line at the food bank

SOL25 October 21 Proud

Today's slice is about the bravery and tenacity it takes to try something new.

Those skills are the essence of making a path through life.

Proud, 

As the little one went under bravely 

Entering the scary unknown, not that long

Ago, where she added flips, turns, slides.

Proud,

Lessons, training, laps, workouts,

Practicing those strokes beyond what is

Needed to stay afloat and survive,

Proud, 

As adding varsity swimming is

No joke, daily laps, serious strokes,

Between studying, APs, teaching.

Proud,

 Winning this heat, learning about 

Teamwork, courage. while planning a

Next chapter where she will rise again,

Proudly

Ethical ELA October 20 Wisdom from Tea

Today's Ethical ELA hosts, Kim and Fran, ask us to pour a cup of tea and write! 

I COULD write about family gatherings for tea 

or the merits of Harney's African Autumn

However, I am going to share messages from four tea bag tags

found in the back of my junk drawer

that serve as anchors for my life.