Memories.

 

This is an old post from my personal blog. Whenever I make Earl Gray, these memories still flutter through my head….

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This afternoon, I lit a candle and made myself a cup of tea. {Studying always seems less taxing when candles and tea are involved.}

As I poured the hot water onto the tea bag, the smell of Earl Gray tea overwhelmed my senses. And, instantly, I was transported to another place, a past time.

It’s funny how our minds work like that, how just the smell of something can conjure so many memories.

When I breathed in the steam of my tea, I was reminded of my one of my good Italian friends, Claudia. On the first day of school in the seventh grade, my teacher “assigned” me to several girls in the room. It was their job to make sure I could do my homework and understand the lessons. And they were so sweet, inviting me to their homes to study. Always encouraging me. Claudia was one of those girls.

The first time I went to her house, she tried her best to teach me how to play the recorder for our music class. It was a lost cause. {I eventually got there, though}

We also drank tea, strong Earl Gray tea. She drank hers quickly, so I followed suit, gulping down the scalding liquid resulting in a painful headache. Little did I know how many more afternoons I would spend at her house, sitting in her cozy kitchen, drinking tea and nibbling on cookies.

Those were such sweet times. Because it was just like being with a friend. It was there that I realized that she actually was my friend, not just a tutor. I enjoyed talking with her. We had things to talk about. We could laugh together. Because we were friends.

This afternoon, as I drank my tea and looked at my window at the gray sky, I wished I was in her kitchen again. Drinking Earl Gray, eating cookies, and watching storms gather in the sky.