The summer of 1997 was my first time to see someone drinking tea with leaves. The leaves were literally bursting forth from this man’s paper cup, and it kinda freaked me out a bit.
I also remember that my surprise at the leaves in his glass of tea amused all my adult students. How on earth had this silly girl made it through 19 years of life without realizing that tea came from actual leaves?
For several of the years between 1997 and now, I adopted the attitude of sure you go ahead and have your leaves in your tea. If you offer me some, I’ll drink it, but please just the tea. :) But, this summer I got really excited when Lawrance bought me a special thermos for brewing tea leaves in. So, I can have my tea with leaves and drink it easily too.
When I first tried jasmine tea (also back in 1997), I thought it tasted exactly like what soap should taste like. Now, Lawrance and I also keep a pitcher of
cold brewed jasmine green tea in our fridge. (Although, admittedly, the green tea helps with the soap flavor issues of pure jasmine tea.)
And, my newest thing is that I love lemongrass tea. It is so wonderful! I could drink it all day long!! Corrina, our neighbor, friend, and matchmaker, gave Lawrance a lemongrass plant for his birthday. What she didn’t know is that she was really giving it it me! :D (Lawrance’s interest in finding the plant was to help me get one. She didn’t know that; all she knew was that Lawrance wanted some lemongrass.)
Anywho, for two weeks now, I’ve been able to make my own lemongrass tea. I step out onto our laundry porch (balcony), cut some grass, clean it, and then let it boil for a few minutes in our wok.
As I stood there yesterday, watching my leaves of grass boil filling our home with the oh so refreshing scent of lemongrass, I couldn’t help but think of how much as changed in the past 13 years.
What once shocked me is now commonplace.
What once took me by surprise is now normal.
And, this of course, made me marvel at God’s kindness.
