@saltsugarandstories: It’s a Friendship Tea kind of day. 🤎 The weather is cool, it’s October, and the minute I smelled that tea this morning, I was 13 years old again. October is the month I was taken to the children’s home. I can still remember walking through those doors for the first time and trying to take in everything around me. Strange faces. Girls moving everywhere. A piano playing. A girl blow-drying a towel she had wrapped around her head, the staff member who would become somewhat of a tormentor, standing there eating a chicken leg. 😭 And me standing there scared to death, overstimulated and wondering what was about to happen to my life… and worrying about my brother Jerry, too. I was introduced to my “watcher,” Joanne, who would be responsible for me until I came off watch. She took me to find clothes because the clothes I was wearing were the only ones I had brought with me. She showed me where I would sleep, where everything was, and eventually we walked over to the schoolhouse. And THAT is the memory that came rushing back this morning. It was cool outside. We walked into that schoolhouse and classical music was playing, just like it always would be. And in the middle of all that fear and uncertainty, I smelled this wonderful warm, spicy smell. Friendship Tea. Brother Dubb was our principal and one of our dorm parents, and he drank it every day. I loved that man and his wife so much. And somehow, on one of the most frightening and overwhelming days of my young life, that smell became something comforting. All these years later, I cannot make Friendship Tea, smell Friendship Tea or drink Friendship Tea without thinking about Brother Dubb and that schoolhouse. There were a lot of difficult memories from those years. But this one is good. And I’m thankful I get to keep the good ones, too. 🤎 Ten minutes just isn’t enough to tell these stories the way I want to tell them. I talk as fast as I can, (and y’all know that’s pretty fast )😂, but there’s so much more to every memory than I can fit into one video. Anyway… it’s a Friendship Tea kind of morning. Good morning, y’all. 🤎 Friendship/Russian Tea Ingredients 2 cups orange-flavored drink (such as Tang) 2 Cups Sweetened Instant Ice Tea (or 1 1/3 cups of unsweetened instant ice tea) 1/2 cup lemonade drink mix (such as Country Time) 2 tsp. ground cinnamon 1/2 tsp. ground cloves Directions: Combine ingredients: 
Whisk together all ingredients in a large bowl Divide into jars or other airtight containers, and close tightly to store in a cool, dry place (should keep for 4 to 6 months). Add 2-3 teaspoons to hot water in 12-16 oz cup #goodmorning #storytelling #storytime #memories #childhoodmemories

Cherie🌺

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Monday 05 October 2026 15:04:58 GMT