rb31day17

Peeling off the sheet and duvet cover, I push myself up, claw at the night stand for reading glasses and slowly pad through the dark toward the bathroom. A misplaced pillow on the floor like a roadblock for a blind man navigating his own house is an interruption to confidence in steps. My gasp threatens to awaken my husband.

It’s 6:30, that’s what it reads on the illuminated screen of the cell phone in my hand before I slide it into the arm of a black velvet robe and tie the satin ribbon in a  bow at my waist.

Gently pushing the door open wide enough for my body to exit, I walk out of the bedroom and into the kitchen. I’m the first one up in our house during our waiting season. A swath of quiet has become morning’s sweet anticipation.

First sounds breaking open the stillness are the slow rev of the electric tea kettle heating up, the squeaky slide of the accordion door opening on the pantry, the tinkle of the lid pulled from the top of the pot, the plop, plop of tea bags in the empty ceramic cavern.

My heart at daybreak is likened to a full tea pot warming under the cosy, ready for pouring out into an empty schedule.

“LORD, remind me how brief my time on earth will be. Remind me that my days are numbered–how fleeting my life is.” Psalm 39:4

An hour later, the last drops of warm amber drip into my cup with melancholy and reminding. Mercy is new every morning. And tomorrow I shall grasp it.

Tea in England is like breathing is to our existence, without it, England is not England. The answer of tea in most of life’s conversations is one of the many facets of British culture speaking my heart language.

Are you are a tea drinker? What brand do you like? We’ve had a little discussion about that on Facebook and I find opinions about tea are like parenting advice. Slanted by past experience and personality.

rb31daysengland

I won’t be sharing my posts on social networking channels daily because who wants to see that much of me, really? If you want to follow our adventure to London subscribe to the blog in the side bar and posts will slide quietly into you inbox. Start from the beginning of the series here.