Sweet Tea

I love sweet tea. I love anything with sugar; it’s an addiction and a weakness of mine. 

Sweet tea is trendy in the South but not in many other places. Some Southerners relate tea as hospitality or, as we may say- come in and stay awhile. A gesture of kindness or a way to show you care. We sit on my friend's patio and drink sweet tea, which is so lovely. 

But can I tell you about another kind of tea? The type that we gather and converse? The kind that may not show you care. That kind of tea may be dangerous. Do you get me? 

I know that that kind of tea most likely involves someone I know and a surprising scenario that may even surprise me a little. I also know that we live in a tiny town. And if you don’t know what someone is doing, you can bet that somebody somewhere knows. I think we all can say that certain things shock and amaze us. 

We are human, after all, but when someone I know personally is attacked over and over publicly for what they’ve done, I always put myself in the family of that person’s shoes.

 I don’t care if it’s a mug shot, a video, a news clip, or anything that will be shared repeatedly for the family to see… I imagine how hurtful that may be. 

And friends, I’ll tell you- a friend is a friend is a friend, and I don’t want to lose one because of some extra sweet tea that I didn’t care to share. Not that I uphold wrongdoing. Because wrong is still wrong, maybe just putting yourself in someone else’s shoes might make sense. 

In the words of Forrest Gump- And that’s all I’ve got to say about that.