Category: michelle

On Teacups & Friendship

At the beginning of February the Ladies Social team hosted a Winter Tea Party.  Here are some thoughts inspired by that event…

by contributing writer, Michelle McLaughlin

Life’s busyness doesn’t always leave room to enjoy the simple pleasures of life.  Drinking tea from a proper teacup and saucer.  Enjoying dainty treats made by hands other than your own.  Laughing.  Savouring the moments with friends made special through shared life-stories, hurts, triumphs, fears, laughter and joy.  Deepening friendships newly made.

With the many to-dos waiting to be done and the varied lists of needs yet to be fulfilled, it’s too easy to get caught up in the getting-it-all-done.  It’s too easy to be caught up in bearing daily life burdens alone.  It’s too easy to mistakenly think we are each the only one with this many demands on our abilities, on our resources of inner strength, on our oh-so-precious time.

But it was in the enjoyment of a tea party amidst a roomful of women of all ages and stages of life where I was reminded that I am not so alone as I sometimes delude myself into believing.  It was in sitting with my dear friends that I was refreshed after a day made long by my own unkind, unprompted emotions.  It was in the sharing of burdens when I was nudged to remember I am not the only one facing these daily struggles of motherhood and cooking and loving and cleaning and dreaming and praying for these families we are entrusted with.

It was a tea party with fancy hats, delicate teacups and saucers, a fun photo booth and friendships.  We smiled.  We laughed.  We talked.  We shared.  A few of us even shed a tear as we listened to the life story of a woman made wise with embracing life as it unraveled before her.  A story permeated with her trust that God would see her through both difficult and joyful times.

The day began with bearing emotional encumbrances alone.  The day ended with a hot cup of tea infused with gentle reminders that I am not alone, that I am not the only one traversing this road of motherhood and womanhood.  

Enjoying a cup of tea is all about slowing down the hurry’s and the have-tos of the day to enjoy the moment.  It is savouring the delicate aroma wafting from the warm amber liquid before that first lovely sip of infused flavour.  

Mingling our hearts and time with our friends infuses our joys so the harshness of life is lessened.

Michelle is a stay-at-home mother to 5 energetic boys, striving every day to find the simple blessings in a busy household of seven.  She has been attending HMC for a few years and volunteers in the nursery and with the Ladies Social team.
Michelle shares her life on her own blog at Simple Bounty.

[tea pot photo by Blaine Radstake ~ see all the tea party photos here]

Ice Cream Social

Guest post by Michelle McLaughlin

Psalm 34:8 Taste and see that the Lord is good

A table was laid out with sundae dishes and a variety of sundae toppings to choose from.  Paper ice cream cones dangled from the ceiling.  Pots of fresh mint from Joan McCutcheon’s garden decorated the centre of the tables.  The room buzzed with ladies gathered together enjoying make-your-own ice cream sundaes and waiting to listen to the words Ruth Shelley had to share.

This event was reminiscent for me of one year earlier when a group of ladies had gathered in this same space enjoying our first Ladies Social event which involved strawberries, hats and listening to a dear lady share her story with us.  I remember the excitement I felt when I had first saw the poster advertising the Ladies Strawberry Social.  The idea of an evening of just ladies met a need in my life that I hadn’t quite realized I needed.  Seeing the roomful of ladies that attended that first event confirmed in my mind what a blessing the evening was going to be.   And so, one year and 10 events later, we joined together again to share a sweet ice cream treat, chat, laugh and listen to what God wanted to share with us. 

Ruth began by relating stories of her association of ice cream with the gathering of her family on Sunday evenings while she grew up.  It later became part of a tradition with her seven children.  She referenced how memories are made and relationships are built over the sharing of such a delicious treat.  The media even uses it in movies and tv shows as a source of comfort in times of trouble.  She then wisely led us into God’s word to Psalm 34:8 “Taste and see that the LORD is good.  Oh, the joys of those who trust in him!”   She shared with us how she has tasted God’s goodness when she turned to Him and His word in the midst of problems she has faced in her life.  She encouraged us all to seek the Lord when we need comfort. 

I went this June evening expecting to enjoy a sweet treat and the company of lovely ladies.   I was reminded that while it is good to enjoy the pleasures life offers us of sweet fellowship, eating decadently now and then and even an evening away from the usual routine, there is nothing that compares with the sweetness of the Lord when we lean on Him.

HMC Ladies Socials