It's a Choice, Agony or JOY

It's a Choice, Agony or JOY

Recently, I spent the day in front of my TV streaming the Beth Moore Simulcast. A friend was coming over to watch it with me, and I knew she would not come empty handed because she’s a wonderful Greek cook and always shares with me😀  I knew I needed to get the teapot and teacups ready beforehand, and while searching through my tins of tea, I came across Silver Needles Tea. It is one of the finest grades of tea and one of the most expensive. When this special tea is harvested, only the top two leaves and the bud are selected from the Camellia Sinensis shrub. At first glance, these leaves don’t look anything like tea; they appear to be a pile of dead grass! The leaves and buds are so white they have a silvery hue and are usually covered in a fine white downy hair that look like fat needles.

The art of tea is serious business, 😃and brewing Silver Needles is no exception 😆! Brewing this tasty tea is fun because it's magical the way these needles unfurl. I make this tea in a glass teapot that has been warmed with hot water so it won’t break when the water for the tea is poured into it. I measure these whitish, silvery, hairy needles according to the number of cups I’m brewing and put them into the pot.  The water is heated to the correct temperature in a teakettle, and poured over the tea leaves in the teapot.  As the tea begins to brew, the leaves start to unfurl and unwind and the magic begins! This process is called “Tea Dancing” in China, and in America it’s called “The Agony of the Leaves.”

The “Agony” begins as the water causes these leaves to open and unwind from their compressed state or as one observer stated… why would you drink something that has been in “Agony?” It is really a “Joyful Process”. I agree wholeheartedly.  We all have our own perception, but I choose Joy!

The picture above is demonstrating the magic! As you can see in the picture, most of the leaves are vertical, which means the tea is ready to drink.

Watching Silver Needles Tea brew is a very beautiful and relaxing experience for me. I know I’m a tea snob 😜, but this art of tea has intrigued me from the first day I started learning about drinking tea made with loose tea. There have been many tea parties in my home and when I brew this tea, everyone else will be talking and there I sit watching the tea brew! Did I say I was a tea fanatic😉?

Silver Needles White Tea is very high in anti-oxidants, which helps to detoxify the body and helps the body fight off free radicals and pollutants. It also can have a cooling effect on your system.

I am on a personal journey, one that isn’t of my choosing. I am in treatment for Splenic Marginal Zone Lymphoma, a Pituitary tumor and other issues that accompany Lymphoma😔. This illness is not in my plan or bucket list whatsoever, yet I find myself here. Some days the path is difficult to walk: obstacles in the way, hills to climb, and valleys to trudge through. Some days I find myself in a pit, but I don’t stay in those hard places for the most part – survived too many storms in my life to hang around in a pit!




One morning recently I started a study by Mark Batterson, Chasing the Lion. Day one begins in 2 Samuel 23:20 with Benaiah, who has done many valiant acts, descending into a pit in time of snow and killing a lion. Usually, a lion chases a man, but this brave man pursues the lion. Batterson says: “In every dream journey, there comes a moment when you have to quit living as if the purpose of life is to arrive safely at death. You have to go after a dream that is destined to fail without divine intervention…Go Big or Go Home!”

Later, while scrolling FB, I noticed a post about the group Need to Breathe and an album entitled Hard Love. Josh Lovelace, a band member, spoke about this same story of Benaiah from Mark Batterson’s book. So I felt the Lord speaking, well maybe shouting at me that morning. The words of the song “Hard Love” speak about life’s battles: dying to self, holding on, getting stronger, changing, getting back up, traveling long roads, a burning fire, standing your ground. Lovelace added, “Rather than being afraid of new challenges and obstacles, those who embrace developments with an air of excitement and passion tend to provide the most inspiration, which this song celebrates.” The lyrics and a link to the song are below the blog.

After reading how Benaiah fearlessly slayed a lion in a pit, to walk my healing out, I must be brave, die to myself, focus on the One who gives me strength and courage to keep moving and not feel defeated on days that are long and arduous.

Some weeks I think, “What else is going to wrack my body?” Then I just ask the Lord to strengthen me. If you have a life challenge, health or otherwise, trust Him. He will take you through whatever you are facing. I know He’s going to see me through and I’m choosing JOY over agony! Just like those Silver Needles, at first they are just lying in hot water. Then as that hot water starts causing them to unfurl and stand up, I’m not going to take this Lymphoma lying down. I'm standing up and going in - after that lion:)!

By the way, my friend Chris arrived that day and was very excited to share in the experience of “The Joy of the Leaves.” In addition to the mellow flavored tea, she and I enjoyed her Kourambiethes, a delicious Greek confection that explodes in your mouth when you bite into it and scatters powdered sugar all over your clothes😄!

As we were watching the Simulcast, Beth references Romans 8:18, “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.” As I thought to myself, “this is for me!” Chris turned to me and said, “Kaye, that word is for you!”

Choose Joy like those dancing tea leaves, in whatever situation you find yourself, when you embrace with faith, the “element” that seems to be working against you, beauty, courage, and strength unfold!

Check out the words to the song below: “Hard Love”

Trading punches with the heart of darkness


Going to blows with your fear incarnate


Never gone until it's stripped away


A part of you has gotta die today


In the morning you gon' need an answer


Ain't nobody gonna change the standard


It's not enough to just feel the flame


You've gotta burn your old self away





Hold on tight a little longer


What don't kill ya, makes ya stronger


Get back up, 'cause it's a hard love


You can't change without a fallout


It's gon' hurt, but don't you slow down


Get back up, 'cause it's a hard love





You know the situation can't be right


And all you ever do is fight


But there's a reason that the road is long


It takes some time to make your courage strong



When the wolves come and hunt me down


I will face them all and stand my ground


'Cause there's a fire burnin' in me


They will see my strength in this love I found



Hold on tight a little longer


What don't kill ya, makes ya stronger


Get back up, 'cause it's a hard love


You can't change without a fallout


It's gon' hurt, but don't you slow down


Get back up, 'cause it's a hard love


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tE3Fp8C_ufg

It's Not About The Tea, But The Time Tea Makes For Us!☕

If you have stuck it out this far reading this "long" blog, there are also updates on Albums and Praise Reports tabs of my blog😆 Thank you for sharing this journey with me.

Kaye