Tea, Please

The right cup of tea at the right moment can turn your whole day around. It’s amazing how one sip of the warm brew can settle your nerves and remind you to breathe again. There are so many life events, milestones and deep conversations that are coupled with a cup of tea in hand. The fondest for me, are the moments with my parents.

I once attended a tea party in my honor. I had just gotten married and moved to a new city. I didn’t know anyone well. The women were playing a game and asked me, “What’s the first thing you think of when we say ‘shai’ (tea)?”. They all gazed at me.

The room silenced for a brief moment as I quietly replied, “Umm” (mother).  It was as if each women shared my experience.

I lived at home during my university years. Most nights I would take a break around 10 pm to have tea with my parents and watch the CBC National News. At first, it was my parents that would always come around and offer me a hot cup of something while I was studying. Later on, it was me who wanted to make the tea and sit with them. Somehow, in this nightly routine, I learned how much my parents loved me and what a treasure they were. So many conversations evolved about the news, world, life, marriage and things I would have rather skipped. All and all, they were always as warm as the tea.

Sadly, in my marriage, my husband does not drink tea and my parents live far away. Tea without companionship is like the sky without sun. Whenever I find a tea partner I treasure the moment.

Meanwhile, my husband and I have started another bonding tradition. Ice cream after Isha’a.

Sharda Mohammed

Sharda Mohammed is a Canadian-born mother of two young children. She has a keen interest in learnig to foster leadership, self esteem and empathy in young children. She works part-time as a Physical Therapist.