Last week, Aura Teas sent me a package of a number of "gift" teas, some of which are samples only and are not necessarily available for sale on their Web site. We had the opportunity to open one up and share it with a family member, who is going through a crisis. I include below my letter of thanks to Aura Teas, which I sent earlier this morning.Tea is not something that really solves any problems in life, but it gives us the opportunity to share something beautiful with people we love, and by painstaking care in hospitality (all that trouble taken in brewing as perfect a cup of tea as I am able), I can in some measure to show someone how important she is to my wife and me, and how deeply we care about the well-being of her and her family.
My letter to my contact at Aura Teas follows here.
Hi, and thank you so much for your gift of the lovely teas.
[Redacted] was visiting during a quite horrible family crisis, and we fed her and afterward served her your Li Shan oolong (about a half-dozen steeps, gongfu style, until she couldn't take more), which was a great comfort.
It's amazing, how a gift of tea from you to me became a gift of tea (and love) from us to her, a way of saying, "We love you. We are looking out for you. We are taking time to listen to you. We are pulling out the good stuff to show you that you are important to us."
Obviously, tea didn't solve any problems, but it did help us express our love and concern for a family member in need, and for this I thank you.
Very sincerely,
Steven Knoerr
The 39 Steeps
4 comments:
What a wonderful post.
Steven,
This is the most precious feedback we've ever received. I want to thank you for sharing the tea with your family. I wish the good energy will flow in your family.
Fionna
Cinnabar, thank you so much. As I mentioned elsewhere, it's rather difficult to write something like this, because I would rather avoid sounding sentimental and sloppy.
And Fionna, thank you again for both your comments (here and on Facebook). I know that it makes good business sense to share your tea so that good word about your tea can get out. At the same time, sometimes something special can happen as a result of your generosity.
Aura Teas really does a good job in getting those quality Oolongs. And they have a great sampler offering at their store to try a multitude of them. No other store in North America can satisfy the curiosity of the thirsty palate for Oolongs from Taiwan like they do. --Teaternity
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