The start of the journey

Welcome to Tea with Vera! Thank you for stopping by!
I should start, for those who don't know me, by telling you about the name of this blog. It is in memory of many cups of tea I shared with a dear friend of mine named Vera.She passed away almost a year ago now. She was ninety years old and suffered from Alzheimer's, but that is only a small part of who she was. I am in my thirties, with two young children and hope to live as full and blessed a life as Vera.
It was an unexpected friendship to say the least, but it is one that has forever changed my life. I was hired to be her caregiver, but what started as a job, became a journey of caring, compassion and understanding. I learned more in seven years spent with her, than all the years I spent in school. The patience I gained being with her translated into my life as a mom, and made me a far better mother than I could have imagined without Vera in my life. As I write this blog, it is meant to be a tribute to all that she taught me in life - how to enjoy life, how to constantly be learning, how to take time to listen and to understand. Vera lived life to the fullest. She was a mother to 6 children, a grandmother and a great grandmother many times over. She had a wealth of friends who loved her, she was well read, truly creative in many areas, and was always ready for the next adventure. She is my inspiration, and I hope to use this blog to mark the journey I am on in memory of all the wisdom she shared with me over a few hundred cups of tea!