It's Thanksgiving weekend in Canada and many of us were out in force today getting what we need for a big family get together and feast to celebrate the annual harvest. The farmer's market in downtown St. Catharines, for example, was bustling with people packed in cheek to jowl looking for just the right additions to their dinner table.
No matter how you spend your time this holiday weekend and with whom, I want to take a moment of your time to offer my thanks for a special little slice of peace and tranquility just around the corner from our house that is soon to close.
Gwen's Teas moved from downtown on St. Paul Street to a lovely period home at 90 Welland Avenue a while ago, and for the longest time I would drive by early in the morning on my way to work and say to myself I should go in again sometime and check out the new digs. I did finally do that just over a year ago, and I have been going back regularly ever since.
Gwen's Teas is full of just about every variety of tea you can imagine, available for you to purchase and take home or brewed on the spot in their charming tea room at the front of the house. There you will also find loads of tea-related gifts for sale along with a few tables for people to sit at as they "take tea".
I have always had a soft spot for tea rooms and have been known to go out of my way to visit one on my travels over the years, no matter where I happen to be. But this one, located steps from our home, is amongst the finest you'll encounter anywhere.
First off, it is peaceful, as any good tea room should be. It's not a library, of course, but there are books on tea on the shelves if that's your preference.
Secondly, the shop knows how to brew a proper cup of tea. That's vitally important in a world where people accept tea bags in tepid water at many dining establishments, accustomed as they are to catering more to coffee lovers.
When I would visit, as I did again this week, I always opt for Scottish Breakfast tea which I find strong, bracing and very much to my liking. Pair the tea with a scone or two with all the trimmings and you have an afternoon tea fit for a king.
Many visits have included conversations with the friendly proprietor of Gwen's Teas, Pam Cicci, a single mom whom I believe lives upstairs looking after her two teenage children. Lately though, Pam has been absent more and more from the tea room, and the reason, as reported in The St. Catharines Standard last year, is very sad indeed.
Pam, you see, is battling colon cancer that has already spread to her liver. Regular visits over the past year to the Walker Family Cancer Centre have not produced the desired result.
Through it all this past year as I visited for tea Pam was always upbeat and cheerful in the face of such heartbreaking news, serving tea with a quiet grace you cannot help but admire. About a month ago when I visited, I saw Pam for the last time and she confided things had not been going well. But she remained optimistic and that wonderful smile was there as always.
Volunteers have been running the shop while Pam was battling her cancer but at the beginning of this month Pam made the difficult decision to close the business so she can devote all her remaining time to dealing with the cancer and to take care of her young family.
It was a difficult decision but I think it is the right decision at the right time, and I am sure her many customers will agree as well. As much as we will miss the tea room and of course seeing Pam there, the focus has to be elsewhere at this moment, so today was the final day for regular tea service at Gwen's Teas.
On Monday, a store closing sale will begin, and run through to next weekend with all tea-related merchandise marked down for quick sale. There will be no tea service, I'm told, just the sale for this final week.
I spent part of a sunny Thursday afternoon there for my final afternoon tea before the sale begins, and although I was sad, I was also glad. Glad Pam can spend the time needed to focus on what matters most, and glad I finally chose to stop in over a year ago to rediscover this little gem in our city.
Should you choose to visit the sale this week, be sure to share a memory of one of your favourite things about Gwen's Teas. Pam I am sure would love to hear it!
Cancer can be ruthless and doesn't play favourites. But we can at least celebrate a life well lived and richly rewarded in so many ways, offer positive energy, and hope for a better outcome this time. If ever someone deserves our support, Pam does and it is needed now.
Let's celebrate with tea, shall we? Pam would never want it any other way...
Be thankful for those around you this weekend, and never underestimate the power of love and hope.
Have a great Thanksgiving weekend.
October 12th, 2019.
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