Legend has it that one afternoon in 1841, the 7th Duchess of Bedford experienced a bit of a sinking feeling. It was a long time until dinner, so rather than suffer the embarrassment of having her stomach growl (My dear, how common!) she asked a servant to bring her a pot of tea and a snack. That hit the spot and she made it a daily routine. Being a social type, the Duchess soon invited guests to join her, and so, the tea party was born. There’s more to a tea party than, well, tea. (And we don’t mean cucumber sandwiches.) It can be a time to refuel relationships as well as tummies. Think about it: at its essence a tea party is a time to stop and refresh. To enjoy pretty food, sip from elegant cups, and engage in conversation. To take a break from the everyday and do something a little special. When was the last time you did that?

Modern tea parties ― at least in the U.S. ― do tend to fall in the special occasion category. They’re often reserved for bridal showers, Mother’s Day, or the occasional women’s ministry event. Nothing wrong with that! But why not break out the good china (or even pretty paper plates) and invite a friend or two over for tea? (Fancy hats optional.) It may take a little bit of planning and you may have to go to a wee bit of trouble . . . but aren’t they worth it?

Take time to celebrate your girlfriends. Take time to do something a little “girly”. Take time for tea.

When I turned forty last December, my parents thought it was a good time to return all my childhood photos to me. But what they did was return them in beautiful album form. Pages and pages, lovingly created to showcase everything from my baby pictures to awkward junior high moments through high school dances and on to college. So many memories came flooding back through their incredible gift to me.

I’ve also been working on a photo album of our extended family. Both of my husband’s parents have passed away, and we feel a strong desire to help our son know them even though they aren’t here to participate in his life. We’ll bring them into his world through photos and stories and reliving memories to try to create an accurate picture of their lives and their contribution to his life, even though he can’t see them. It is so important to us that our son knows his heritage and the family on his father’s side.
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Go ahead and brew a cup of tea ― or pour a glass of the iced variety. Tea is good for you! At least, many scientists believe that tea, both black and green, may contribute positively to a healthy lifestyle. For example:

A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that older women who drank tea actually had higher bone mineral density (BMD) measurements than women who did not drink tea. A serving of tea usually contains less than half the caffeine of coffee. Some experts believe that the flavonoids in tea may inhibit the plaque-forming ability of oral bacteria and that tea's naturally occurring fluoride may support healthy tooth enamel. A study involving people diagnosed with coronary artery disease reported that subjects who drank four cups of black tea per day showed improved blood vessel function. An Iowa Women's Study followed post-menopausal women for eight years and found that participants who drank two or more cups of tea per day had a reduced risk of developing digestive and urinary tract cancers.

At The Ritz in London, tea fare comes on a three-tiered tray with scones on the top, sandwiches in the middle, and sweets on the bottom. If you’re ever there, do stop in for tea. And try to make the first sitting; as the tail-coated maitre d’ confided to us in hushed tones, “Oh madam, the food is fresher and it’s 2 hours of uninterrupted eating.”

For something a little closer to home, you don’t really need special recipes ― the cute factor is more important than the actual dish. Tea food tends to be small and charming. Think brownies made in mini muffin cups and topped with a dollop of whipped cream, cucumber sandwiches (no crusts, please!) sliced into triangles or “fingers”, iced cookies . . . that sort of thing. But since we baked scones and whipped up a batch of rose petal jam for a little gathering here at the Women of Faith office, we thought it only right to share the recipes. See them here.

World Vision has been in Myanmar for 40 years, so they were already in place to help when disaster struck. In fact, World Vision has more than 500 staff on the ground helping survivors. Already, World Vision has helped over 100,000 people, providing temporary shelter and distributing over 35 tons of rice and countless gallons of water.

With the help of partners and supporters (like you), World Vision's relief efforts for the survivors will not stop. Please help. They desperately need you.