Tea for two...or three or more!

Since she was itty-bitty, my daughter has always been able to listen to suggestions and then craft a very personalized solution for herself. When her first serious boyfriend was horrible to her I was petrified. I knew it was always possible she would struggle with the same kinds of problems that I had worked so hard, so many years to overcome, but what now? How could I help her? Thankfully, I was able to just be there so she could help herself. And wow has she ever! Now she is a fabulous new mom, parenting together with a kind and impressive young dad.

So when a bunch of invitations arrived for various charitable events, I decided to invite my daughter to join a Cup of Hope tea party designed to benefit the Bay Areal Legal Services in their efforts to help domestic abuse survivors help themselves. Relationships among family members can be some of the most complex and mysterious. Violence in the home is a salt in the emotional wounds of family members - something you can't always see but that turns up the volume on the pain for everyone.

So on the grounds of a quiet and serene, private Tampa residence, we talked about love, life and happiness over tea. We let the glorious Florida sunshine fill us with hope...for ourselves and for the sea of people we share the world with.