--- title: It’s More Than Just a Cup of Tea description: Lindsay Schlegel reflects on the simple task of brewing a cup of tea and its ripple effect on the rest of her day. image: https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/more-than-just-a-cup-of-tea-Schlegel.jpg --- [![catholic-mom-logo-v2](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/images/catholic-mom-logo-v2.svg "catholic-mom-logo-v2")](https://www.catholicmom.com/) [![facebook](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/icons/social-icon-facebook.svg)](http://www.facebook.com/CatholicMomCommunity) [![twitter](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/icons/social-icon-twitter.svg)](http://twitter.com/CatholicMomCom) [![instagram](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/icons/social-icon-instagram.svg)](http://instagram.com/catholicmomcommunity) [![youtube](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/icons/social-icon-youtube.svg)](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAuUqHCVPDzyMgSMaMZxxug?view_as=subscriber) [![search-icon](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/icons/search-icon.svg)](https://www.catholicmom.com/articles/2018/09/25/its-more-than-just-a-cup-of-tea/#) # It’s More Than Just a Cup of Tea Sep 25, 2018 3:30:41 PM  |  by [Lindsay Schlegel](https://www.catholicmom.com/articles/author/lindsay-schlegel) ![featured image](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/more-than-just-a-cup-of-tea-Schlegel.jpg) [!["It's more than just a cup of tea" by Lindsay Schlegel (CatholicMom.com)](http://catholicmom.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/more-than-just-a-cup-of-tea-Schlegel.jpg)](http://catholicmom.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/more-than-just-a-cup-of-tea-Schlegel.jpg) Image credit: [Pixabay](https://pixabay.com/en/tea-time-break-morning-cup-3224645/) (2018), CC0 Public Domain[/caption] Some days I claim to be too busy to make a cup of tea. Reaching to fill the kettle while I’ve got a wiggly baby in the other arm, a toddler asking for my attention to her latest drawing, and an eye on the clock to time school pick-up just right simply feels like too much. It’s silly, especially considering the short distance between sink and stove in our house, but it’s true. Those few steps can seem colossal. Maybe I’ll reach for a snack I don’t really need instead, or at least neglect the glass of water on the counter that would do me a lot more good. The days can feel so full that I don’t seem to have a moment to stop and rest. So I jam more activities and movement in, trying to keep busy. Especially when I’m tired, I keep moving just to make sure I don’t stop, so I’ll know that I used up every precious moment. Too often, what I don’t ask myself if I’m using those moments well. Lately I’ve realized that — gasp! — it doesn’t take that much effort to make a cup of tea. It’s okay to heat the water in the microwave instead of the kettle. And it’s okay if it takes me all day to drink it. Physically, my body does better when it’s hydrated. And having something with a little flavor helps me not eat something that doesn’t make me feel good twenty minutes later. Leaving space on the counter to set it down means acknowledging that I need space, too. My brain needs room to step back and prioritize. My soul needs wiggle room to process what’s happened, what’s up next, and where I am right now. When I make a cup of tea for myself, it’s more than a cup of tea. It’s a confession of my need for a quiet moment. It’s a celebration of the good things that have happened. It’s solace when things don’t turn out as I’d hoped. It looks like just a cup of tea, but in this season of life it’s more than that. It’s a prayer of thanksgiving for all God has blessed me with. Can I get an Earl Grey-scented “Amen”? --- *Copyright 2018 Lindsay Schlegel* ### Share this article [![Share on Facebook](https://static.hubspot.com/final/img/common/icons/social/facebook-24x24.png)](http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.catholicmom.com%2Farticles%2F2018%2F09%2F25%2Fits-more-than-just-a-cup-of-tea%2F%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dfacebook) [![Share on Twitter](https://static.hubspot.com/final/img/common/icons/social/twitter-24x24.png)](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?original_referer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.catholicmom.com%2Farticles%2F2018%2F09%2F25%2Fits-more-than-just-a-cup-of-tea%2F%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dtwitter&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.catholicmom.com%2Farticles%2F2018%2F09%2F25%2Fits-more-than-just-a-cup-of-tea%2F%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dtwitter&source=tweetbutton&text=It%E2%80%99s%20More%20Than%20Just%20a%20Cup%20of%20Tea) [![Share on Email](https://static.hubspot.com/final/img/common/icons/social/email-24x24.png)](mailto:?subject=Check%20out%20https%3A%2F%2Fwww.catholicmom.com%2Farticles%2F2018%2F09%2F25%2Fits-more-than-just-a-cup-of-tea%2F%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Demail%20&body=Check%20out%20https%3A%2F%2Fwww.catholicmom.com%2Farticles%2F2018%2F09%2F25%2Fits-more-than-just-a-cup-of-tea%2F%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Demail) ** #### About the Author ![Lindsay Schlegel](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/Lindsay%20Schlegel.jpg) ### [Lindsay Schlegel](https://www.catholicmom.com/articles/author/lindsay-schlegel) Lindsay Schlegel is a daughter of God, wife, mom, editor, and speaker. She’s the author of *Don’t Forget to Say Thank You: And Other Parenting Lessons That Brought Me Closer to God* and host of the podcast *Quote Me with Lindsay Schlegel. Lindsay seeks to encourage, inspire, and lift others up to be all they were created to be. Connect with Lindsay at her website, LindsaySchlegel.com.* [**](https://www.facebook.com/LindsaySchlegelAuthor/) ## Related Blog Articles [ How'd Your Lent Go? Read ](https://www.catholicmom.com/articles/2018/03/27/howd-your-lent-go/) [ A Story to Prepare My First Communicant Read ](https://www.catholicmom.com/articles/a-story-to-prepare-my-first-communicant) [ Calling Others to Reunite with the Lord Read ](https://www.catholicmom.com/articles/calling-others-to-reunite-with-the-lord) ## Comments ## Donate now [![Support Catholic Mom](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/275132/10016573-1c5c-4aa5-baba-c2ac91fe7545.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/275132/10016573-1c5c-4aa5-baba-c2ac91fe7545) [![CatholicMom_hcfm_logo1_pos_871c_2728c (002)](https://www.catholicmom.com/hs-fs/hubfs/CatholicMom_hcfm_logo1_pos_871c_2728c%20(002).png?width=1806&height=731&name=CatholicMom_hcfm_logo1_pos_871c_2728c%20(002).png "CatholicMom_hcfm_logo1_pos_871c_2728c (002)")](https://www.catholicmom.com/) ##### Subscribe to Catholic Momcast on iTunes or Spotify [![itunes-logo-black](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/logos/itunes-logo-black.svg)](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/catholic-momcast/id1362352357)[![spotify-logo-black](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/logos/spotify-logo-black.svg)](https://open.spotify.com/show/15CoipHL7z61IDcYErV0b8?si=hqaQJSxDQgq7S1hxCwsoxQ) ##### CatholicMom on Social Networks [![facebook](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/icons/social-icon-facebook.svg)](http://www.facebook.com/CatholicMomCommunity) [![twitter](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/icons/social-icon-twitter.svg)](http://twitter.com/CatholicMomCom) [![instagram](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/icons/social-icon-instagram.svg)](http://instagram.com/catholicmomcommunity) [![youtube](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/icons/social-icon-youtube.svg)](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAuUqHCVPDzyMgSMaMZxxug?view_as=subscriber) ##### About Catholic Mom [Who We Are](https://www.catholicmom.com/about-us) [Contact Us](https://www.catholicmom.com/contact) [Support CatholicMom.com](https://www.catholicmom.com/support-us)   ##### Associated Links [Holy Cross Family Ministries](https://www.hcfm.org/) [Family Rosary](https://www.familyrosary.org/) [Family Theater Productions](https://www.familytheater.org/) [Congregation of the Holy Cross](https://www.holycrossusa.org/) [Father Patrick Peyton, C.S.C.](https://www.fatherpeyton.org/) [The Peyton Institute for Domestic Church Life](https://www.peytonfamilyinstitute.org/) ### **Stay connected!** Don’t miss a thing! 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