Bella Tea Room

12/17/2025

Good Morning! 💛☕️💛
"I am fundamentally an optimist. Whether that comes from nature or nurture, I cannot say. Part of being optimistic is keeping one's head pointed toward the sun, one's feet moving forward. There were many dark moments when my faith in humanity was sorely tested, but I would not and could not give myself up to despair. That way lays defeat and death."
~Nelson Mandela

12/16/2025

Good Morning stories of the Heart 💛☕💛
We all need to hear the value of a personal story. My grandparent's stories live on in my heart as if they were shared yesterday. Stories are a time to come together with those you love and share in the hope of triumphs of past, present and future. A story told in essence tells what you are truly made of and carries on long past your years within those you love. That, my friend, is the value of a good story.

I believe this is why in our home, we have always gleaned much enjoyment and education from epic tales of old whether in books or in motion pictures. There are many life lessons to be told in the form of a story. J.R.R. Tolkien's 'Lord of the Rings,' C.S. Lewis's 'Chronicle of Narnia', Corrie Ten Boom's 'The Hiding Place' and Harriet Tubman's 'Harriet' are some of my personal favorite stories to hear and to share over and over again. Stories of heroes and heroines that have fought the good fight, triumphed over evil, and kept their focus faithfully on faith and family in the midst of great adversity. These stories strengthen our hearts and help us to keep on in whatever our lives throw at us.

"After nourishment, shelter and companionship, stories are the thing we need most in the world." ~ Philip Pullman

Stories are what this life is about. Pay careful attention to the many storytellers that surround you and be willing to add your story when needed. 💛

12/15/2025

Good Morning! 💛 ☕️☕️💛Christmas tea shared ...
There is nothing more lovely than a time spent with loved ones over tea at Christmas.
A cup of tea,
A prayer or two.
Special moments shared with you.

Do make the time to have a simple Christmas teatime with someone special this holiday season. A precious time of sharing and rejoicing together. Heart to heart.

12/14/2025

“Good friends, good books, and a sleepy conscience: this is the ideal life.”
― Mark Twain ... And beloved Christmas movies

12/14/2025

Good Sunday Morning! 💛☕️💛
Be doers this Holiday Season. Our faith must find expression in our actions, and grace should inspire us towards one another.
Regardless of whether the broader economy is struggling or thriving, we should always be on the lookout for ways to give generously of our time, talents, and resources to those in greater need.

Begin in your own neighborhood, perhaps a neighbor could use their sidewalks and driveway shoveled or have need of you to do some errands. Get your family involved in baking cookies and taking sweet treats to shut-ins, and to nursing homes. Show you care creatively! Porch drops during the pandemic is something I personally never want to see end! What a joy it is to give! And also, to receive, in that someone cared enough to brighten your day!

You can also reach out in your local community to see where help is needed. There are food pantries that need way more than volunteers. These non-profits are on the front lines to humanity in crisis and know exactly what people need most. They hear the personal stories, struggles and hardships as they scramble together what they can to assist the precious people they serve. By contacting those in the trenches with willingness to help, you may be an answer to their prayers. It may surprise you on the countless ways you can give of what you already have to help another in need.

“Let us not get tired of doing good, for we will reap at the proper time if we don’t give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us work for the good of all, especially for those who belong to the household of faith.”
Galatians 6:9-10 (CSB)


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12/13/2025

Good Morning! 💛☕💛
"We’re all climbing a private hill,
weighed down with our own bundle of struggle,
while being tamed into carrying our suffering quietly
in a savage world.
Yet, we’re valued by a much larger grace
consistently teaching us about patience,
connecting us to empathy,
reminding us of our fragility
and asking us to make a pact
to treat every living being
with kindness.
So let kindness be your daily ritual.
Let it flow from the wellspring of your heart..."
~ Susan Frybort ~

Artist Credit : Janice VanCronkhite

12/12/2025

~ Foxy Friday ~ 💛🦊💛
"Never let a day pass.. without appreciating the things that give you love..
Cultivate the things that give you joy..
And celebrate the things that give you strength.."
- Juanson Dizon

12/12/2025

Good Morning! 💛☕️💛
It's always cool to be kind

12/11/2025

Good Morning! 💛☕️💛
A little bit of merry from my heart to yours.

12/10/2025

Stay safe and warm, my local friends! It sure is stunning to look at! Hoping to do a winter wonderland walk later today...after shoveling. ❄️

☕️ ❄️ ❤️

12/10/2025

Good Morning!

Oh, how the streams beckons me to live! 💛

"I thought how lovely and how strange a river is. A river is a river, always there, and yet the water flowing through it is never the same water and is never still. It’s always changing and is always on the move. And over time the river itself changes too. It widens and deepens as it rubs and scours, gnaws and kneads, eats and bores its way through the land...

Are people like that? I wondered.
Am I like that?
Do I change like a river, widening and deepening, eddying back on myself sometimes, bursting my banks sometimes when there’s too much water, too much life in me, and sometimes dried up from lack of rain?
Will the I that is me grow and widen and deepen?
Or will I stagnate and become an arid riverbed? Will I allow people to dam me up and confine me to wall so that I flow only where they want?
Will I allow them to turn me into a canal to use for they own purposes?
Or will I make sure I flow freely, coursing my way through the land and ploughing a valley of my own?"
― Aidan Chambers

12/09/2025

What do you give to someone who seems to have everything? Bella Tea Room offers several gift ideas to assist you during this holiday season.

We feature artisan loose leaf tea blends, including black, green, oolong, rooibos, herbal, medicinal, and custom blends upon request, perfect for the tea enthusiasts in your life.

'The Magi's Gift' with frankincense and myrrh provides holistic relief from aches and pains in a convenient roller bottle, ideal for stocking stuffers. (See benefits under pictures comment)

Our best-selling Magnesium Lavender spray offers numerous benefits, including promoting good sleep, easing muscle pain, and more. Additionally, Lavender-free sprays are available. (See benefits under pictures comment)

Gift certificates in any amount are also a great option.

Please let me know if I can assist you further. We offer delivery within West Branch city limits or can schedule a pickup appointment. Kindly message me to arrange a time that suits you best!