On the Porch
Onisha Ellis
Is there any place better to live than in a small town? I know the shopping and entertainment leave a lot to be desired but what are they compared to kindness, friendship and a sense of community
Wednesday I started my day in a dental office waiting on Rebekah to have her stitches removed. Also waiting was a gentleman and within ten minutes we had covered growing up in Orlando and Sanford, how we came to live in this town, how Disney ruined Orlando, riding bikes all day as kids and no one worried, how hot Florida can be in July and finally, bonfires on the beach and how sad we are it is no longer allowed. I am sure we could have covered much more, but Rebekah was finished and we moved on.
Next we visited my former work place. I lost track of the conversation streams that were addressed in fifteen minutes but Mac iOS6 was an animated discussion as well as western vs. eastern Caribbean cruise preferences and why, Twinning’s new cold brew peach tea, Blackberry tea and porcelain tile vs. laminate flooring if you have a cat that chooses not to use the litter box.
Our final stop was at Teapots n Treasures, a brand new teahouse in our “downtown”. If you live in a small town, you understand the quotation marks. I was very excited to visit Teapots n Treasures because “taking tea” has become my new obsession and to my knowledge, in recent memory we have never had anything like it. No sooner had we settled into our cozy tea nook than I see my dear friend, Wanda and her friend being seated for lunch. With a smile and a wave, she comes into our nook bringing her friend. In the course of introductions, it was discovered Wanda’s friend had read Rebekah’s book, Summer Storms. Rebekah was so pleased to meet a new reader face to face. They invited us to join them after our tea was done and we did. We picked up our teapot and cups, told the owner we were socializing, ignored the people giving us strange looks and made our way to their tea nook. What fun we had. Rebekah talked book stuff, I caught up on friend news. Along with the chitchat we also discussed a young family’s loss of their precious newborn girl. We are all praying for them as they grieve. We were so blessed by our unexpected opportunity to visit with Wanda, Jamie and Joan. Wanda would call it a Divine Appointment.
I have never lived in a truly large city. What is it like?
Galatians 5:22-23
Related articles
- My Friend, Rebekah Lyn (oldthingsrnew.wordpress.com)
- Joining the “Save the Teapot” Campaign (englishtea.us)
Old Things R New 
I loved every word of your blog, Onisha. And yes, I do know what it’s like to live in a big city. We lived in Los Angeles eight years. Both kids were born there. Do five hundred square miles of city, smog, six lanes of traffic both ways, not knowing anybody, more rules than you could ever obey, always waiting in line, begin to describe it? I don’t think so. When I was a kid I lived in a town in the Colorado Rockies with about 500 people. I have a basis of comparision and I choose small town, hands down.
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I never thought about all the rules. Loved your comment.
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I didn’t know we had ‘Teapots and Treasures” I will definately have to try it. I visit a cute little tea garden in Mount Dora occasionally when I go shopping with my daughter and we love it. Small towns are great!
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Yes they are especially when they are located near big towns for shopping!
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Loved your article, Onisha :-)) I am a small town gal, through and through!
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For years I thought i wanted to be a big city girl. What was I thinking? Life is more than a great pair of shoes and fabulous restaurants.
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