Tea for Three, Post-Hurricane Rita.

As crazy as everything seemed this morning, as I raked up piles of leaves and small branches, and started to take yard stuff out of the garage, the day was put into perspective for me by my young 14-yr-old friend C.

C phoned me to ask if we could have a little tea party-- just me, and C, and her friend L. I asked her when she would like the tea party and she said, in a very quiet little voice: "Can we have it today, Miss Larrie? Please?"

I know C, and I know she wouldn't have asked for this if she didn't really need it. "Of course," said I. And I told her to call up L and decide what time this afternoon would be good for them both. Within fifteen minutes, C called me back and said "How about 2:00?" I have never gotten the dining room all set and looking pretty in so short a time. Out came teacups and pretty plates, and I even made up little placecards for the three of us.

So that's what we did....... "Tea for Three," at 2:00 this afternoon. I didn't have much in the house for a tea party, but we made do with what I had-- small sandwiches with pimento cheese filling, very small White Castle hamburgers (which were frozen, and my husband cooked up for us), and I had half a dozen shortbread cookies and some dried fruit, and chocolate kisses.

I had bought the little teapots for both girls last week, so I set them out on the table, along with special teapot-topped teaspoons for them, and half a dozen kinds of tea, and the little porcelain teabag holders that I found for them. The girls were thrilled.... their own teapots! And special spoons! I showed them how to brew and pour the tea, and how to cut the crusts from the sandwiches and arrange the plates.

Plus, I had fashion books for them, that I had bought and put away for Christmas gifts, but I used them today for their tea party favors, and they were so happy with them-- they're pop-up books, with fashion paper-dolls from different eras in the history of fashion.

We played the Tea Bingo game after we had our tea and talked about what we all did during the evacuation and the storm. The girls wanted to play the Tea Bingo game a second time, and my husband called out the letters for them as I washed and packed up their teapots. Their mothers had driven both girls here, and I drove them home when we'd had our fill of tea and Tea Bingo.

I've said it before, and I'll continue to believe it--- children are the most important treasures in this world. And whether they're your own, or if you're close to them and just love them as if they're your own, every little thing you do for them, no matter how small, is remembered for a lifetime.

We were very lucky in Clear Lake this past week....... lucky that Hurricane Rita didn't slam into Galveston and Clear Lake with a Category 5 impact, and lucky that we can count our blessings as we rake leaves and make tea for two little girls.