Sunday, July 17, 2011



On a perfect summer evening, we gathered together for a very special tea party.




The gardens were exquisitely cared for.  The soothing sound of water running was an indication of what was ahead for us.




Once again, we met at this old wooden house that used to be a playhouse for the owner's children.  The ambience that greeted us immediately calmed our spirits, after the busy day we had all come through.  You see, this evening was created for a very special reason by one of my dear friends.




Three years ago, I had invited these three beautiful mothers and their three daughters, to a tea party at this location.  What a wonderful, rare evening we all had together.  The memories of the evening are still vivid in my mind.  In April our precious friend in the aqua jacket, went to heaven, so unexpectedly.  Three years later, her daughter, the one in the white suit wanted to participate in another tea party, only this time she invited the three daughters, along with our oldest daughters, to the same location.




Here we are, joining together as the next generation.  What a privilege it was to have our daughters share the evening with us in the same lovely, magical location.  Maybe someday, they will have a tea party here with their daughters.




The gracious hostess and home owner treated us to another equally beautiful evening that we will never, ever forget.




All the creative touches, the gorgeous gardens, the delicious food and the hostesse's warm, caring spirit, blessed each of us in memorable ways.




Tiny, pretty favors for each one of us.




Our hostess extrordinaire and her young, talented helpers carrying platters of food.







The candles were glowing, the crickets were chirping, the conversations were fun, at times filled with laughter and tears, as together we remembered one very special lady.
"The best portion of a good life is little, nameless, unremembered acts of kindness and love."   ~William Wordsworth

Our friend left us with many of the above, giving us reason to celebrate and remember her.  In the gardens we shared time together, being reminded of just how necessary it is to appreciate each other, every day that we have here.

12 comments:

mK said...

Wow, what a neat place Aunt Judy!! Thanks for sharing, it looks like it was a wonderful evening!

Melinda said...

What a wonderful memorial for a friend.
Looks to be a lovely evening.

Melinda

debi said...

Fabulous tradition! Beautiful scenery with special people :-)

Love tea parties!

Hugs

lindsey said...

What a beautiful evening...I would have loved to have been there! So nice to invite all the daughters to join in too. I am sure that this will be an event with many more to come. You guys are always partying!!

a woman who is said...

Sweetest story, amazing ambiance, thanks for taking us along! I need to have a garden tea party...thanks so much for the inspiration!

Just a little something from Judy said...

Lindsey, it does seem like we are always partying, but that is not the case. I just don't share all the in between days on my blog. Although I must say that with our big families it may seem that way. You all encourage me to share. Thank you!

Stacey said...

That does look like a magical spot for a gathering. How fun. :)

Judy said...

How fun to carry on the mother/daughter tea-party tradition with the next generation. And what a great venue for a garden party! It looks like a wonderful evening all around.

GratefulPrayerThankfulHeart said...

Such a special time together! The photos are lovely and the memories made so dear!

Kathleen said...

Oh man ... you live in Narnia! I knew it. That refurbished playhouse is exactly what I want for my heavenly, eternal mansion. So, so precious!

I love the pictures, too. Now I'm thinking I need to plan a party so I can use some of the decorating ideas :)

Blessings,
Kathleen

Barbara said...

Such a magical place- the little tea garden! My girlfriends and I had the pure privilige of enjoying it a few weeks ago and I am so happy that you got to, too! Cheryl certainly has a little ministry going there! Now that's a tea party I would like to be a member of :) !

Happy@Home said...

Thank you for sharing this special event with us, Judy. The setting for this tea party is so pretty. It looks like something one would see in a magazine. I love the looks of the fence with the candles on it. Talk about ambience!
I had a hard time telling the difference between the daughters and the mothers. You are all gorgeous!!

LinkWithin

Related Posts with Thumbnails