This past weekend we held our closing celebration at the tea room.  I want to thank all my family, friends and loyal customers for coming out to support me.   I so appreciate all the kind words and encouragement that so many of you have shared in person, phone calls, email messages and cards.  My tea cup runneth over with the love that you all have shown me.
It is hard to express my feelings about closing my beloved tea room.  I had the pleasure of owning it for over four years.  It was my dream, but I know that dreams do not last forever.   My brother Frank says that it is just one more thing I can check off my "Things I Want to Do in My Lifetime" list.
Some of my regular customers cried when I told them I was closing.  I have not cried yet.  My oldest son, Brian, articulated it very well.  He said that it is like someone close to me died.  And that's exactly how I feel.  I could not get out of bed yesterday--I could not bear the final hours of SweeTea's life.  Right now I am in the mourning period.
Again, just as I could not have opened SweeTea's without the help of my family and friends, I treasure their support even more now after we closed.
I am too emotional to continue writing today.  But I do know that God has something else for me to do today, tomorrow and beyond and because of that, I have peace in my heart.
Till the next Blog entry,
Julita

Welcome to Julita's Blog at SweeTea's.  I hope you will enjoy visiting it to catch up with what is happening with me, the previous owner of SweeTea's.  If you are reading this, it is because you somehow know me or had visited my tea room in the past.  I had opened in October 2007 in a darling space in the patio shops courtyard.  We served tea, scones and traditional tea meals for over four years.  I saw it as a ministry more than a business.  I enjoyed offering Christian hospitality to all those who came through the door.   God also blessed me with great staff over the years:  Holly Sander, my first chef and friend who I could not have opened the doors without; Tina Long, my first server and super organizer; Christina Kcraszczcak, my second server, graphic designer and musician; Valeria Benavides, my second chef, the cream puff baker extraordinaire; Joann Perez, my third server, a kind encourager who made me laugh; and Josefina Tso-Guillen, my fourth server, the gentle welcomer to all of our customers .  All of these people helped to make SweeTea's a pleasant place to visit and have a cup of tea.
It will be hard to close the doors this coming Sunday.  I have prayed about it and God has given me peace.  It is well with my soul.