Sunday Afternoon Tea - Slowing down to really live

The winds turned cold last week, a much welcomed chill is in the air after a hotter than usual September.  The thick burgundy throw is now draped at the end of the love seat in the Living Room.  Candles have been brought out with the scent of pumpkin and apple and warm spices.  A recipe with apples and maple syrup resides on the front of the frig via a magnet... waiting to be made soon.

It is once again the season for hot tea, hot chocolate, and apple cider in the afternoon and evening... mornings no matter what the season are for coffee.  The Mrs. Beaver tea cosy my friend, Heather, made me is now ready to keep the yellow teapot warm.  The hand made brown pottery mug was brought down from the top shelf of the cabinet where it resides in Spring and Summer, a purchase from when we attended a special anniversary of our favorite historical reenactment.

I took the set of Jesse Stone DVDs that had been a gift from a friend off the shelf, she knew I had set them aside for cold weather watching.   There is just something about the broody Tom Selleck movies that are perfect for long, dark evenings.  I finished watching the equally broody Season 5 of Shetland just last night.  I like having options available for both reading and watching by season.

Something I have learned in sixty-five years of living is that one must set the stage at home for a warm and cozy atmosphere ahead of the need for a thick throw or a fluffy pillow.  Fluffing the nest is something I enjoy.  A talent and  desire that God has given me but that the enemy whispers in my ear, is not a real accomplishment.  Nothing to put a check next to on my To Do list.  Why do I listen to his lies?

I am ready for this brief season, when the air is crisp, the leaves are the color of jewels, and introverts unite in welcoming the perfect weather for staying inside and curling up in a chair with a great book.  There is something about colder days that give us permission to slow down and focus.  (I do realize that our friends south of the equator are in busy Spring mode... been there!) 

I am trying to slow down and appreciate the little things in life.  So often I have been busy when there is no need, going into overdrive to get things accomplished when it isn't necessary, and I find the years have flown by and darn if I can remember most of what happened in times past.  Even those I thought I would never forget. Sometimes I think October is God's way of getting in our face and saying it is okay to walk slowly.

A couple days ago, I was walking down the gravel lane to where our mailbox resides on the county road.   There is one small tree ablaze with color at the moment and as I walked by it, I picked up one of the deep ruby colored leaves that had fallen to the ground.  The beauty of that one simple leaf left me standing for awhile, just looking at how lovely it was.

He puts in our daily path those things that would cause us to slow down and take notice if we but take the time to look.  Sometimes it is a poem, at times it is an object in nature, sometimes a cat wanting to be petted and admired, and sometimes it is a particularly delicious meal.

Recently, I was part of a Messinger conversation going on between my children, my daughter-in-law, and me as they were sharing favorite dishes served in Paris. My daughter's family had enjoyed a trip there last year and now my son and daughter-in-law were taking their much longed for trip to Paris.

The object of the discussion was a bowl of French onion soup.  In a family of foodies, it may as well have been one of the portraits hanging in the Louvre (although they shared memories of that museum's artwork, too).  Their words almost made me want to grab a flight to Paris just for that soup!  (I am happy they get to travel but having always been a terrible traveler... I do not envy their adventures. Just their food.)

I believe there is worship to God even in something so simple as the admiration of a delicious meal. As we take the time to break bread and share food, in this case vicariously.  He could have sustained us with the same manna over and over again.  I like to think He smiles when His children appreciate the wonder of a well made bowl of French onion soup.

I will be filling out next week's planner pages later today.  In them, it would be a good idea to write down the words... slow down.  I need to take notice while the trees are shedding their shades of green to display the splendor of their jewel toned undergarments.  Before falling back to the soil to begin the process of renewal all over again.

There are two times of the year that are to me little windows into the world which is to come.  They are the magical (Narnia magic) week in October when the trees are in full color and that week before Christmas when everything sparkles.  I cannot help but stop and take it all in.

Mentioned in this Blog Post
Jesse Stone The Collection... here.
The movies are available individually and in other groupings, too.
(They are TV movies rated M for Mature Content but it is mostly for violence... they are realistic mysteries... and certain risque references.  Much like the BBC mysteries.)

Shetland Season 5 on DVD... here.
(The poor reviews were not for the Shetland DVD but how on Amazon Video, Britbox first showed only one program each week, I wish they would only review the actual product.)

I LOVE Shetland and I'm thankful for blog readers who told me a Shetland fan would love Vera, too.  You guys were very correct.

Disclaimer:  Most links to Amazon.com are Associate links.

Image:  The Warmth of Autumn by Susan Rios