Hot Tea and Honey

We've got a little bug going around the Kelley clan.  To the average person it's the common cold. In this house, it's a monster that turns my sweet, lively children into grumpy couch potatoes. It comes complete with itchy throats,  sniffles and all night coughing fits. Times like these are the perfect opportunity for my oldest daughter to beg and plead for hot tea with honey. Oh yes, that age old home remedy for a case of the yuckies. It's perfect. The steam opens her airways, the honey sweetens her drink and soothes her irritation. 

One of our favorite tea pots

It reminds me of when I still lived at home with my parents. Late at night when I couldn't sleep or the anxieties of life got to be to much, my mother would bring me to the table and make me a cup of hot tea. We would just sit and enjoy each others company.  We would talk and laugh and cry together.  I remember wishing that time would stand still. The planets and stars would align and the weight I was carrying would melt away into peace. Very few times in my life have i known complete peace, but a few minutes of quality time with someone I hold so dearly always did it for me.

 That's a habit I carry with me still. When the hustle and bustle of a long day has passed and the children are in bed, my husband and I come together and unwind over a pot of tea. He prefers the hint of spearmint in Celestial Seasonings' sleepytime tea and I'm more of a chamomile girl, but together we calm down and bask in our quiet time. Sometimes we talk about our day. Sometimes we discuss religion and politics. Then there are times when we sit in total silence. Regardless of where the discussion leads, we end our day relaxed and unified. 

Maybe our predecessors had it incredibly right in using tea to heal their ailments. It's healing properties go far beyond soothing scratchy throats and runny noses. It soothes the heart and mind. I pray that when my babies are grown, they look back and reminisce about their mom and her hot tea with honey. Who knows?  They may just carry on the tradition for my future grandkids. 

Our favorite herbal teas