Kindness

I’m getting into the proper spirit of KindaSquare today by reminiscing.

Last October, Jeff Brown and Donald Van de Werken invited us to the first annual Sweet Tea Festival held in Poplarville, Mississippi, on the town green. Food and drink experts, local artists, craftspeople and musicians came together to celebrate one of the South’s favourite refreshments. 

A lady kindly allowed me to take a picture of her flowery tea hat, a perfect match with her dress. We had not booked for the traditional high tea, but when people learned I was from England, they brought us some samples so I would feel at home.

I ought by rights to have been drinking tea that weekend, but being addicted to coffee, I got some of that instead. I won’t claim that the sweet tea guardians frowned on my choice, but it is very suspicious that I spilt most of the coffee over my favourite dress. Several people offered help. Afraid it would stain, I rinsed my dress out in a nearby cafe, then wore it wet. On an October day in Darwen, that would make for a miserable experience, but in Poplarville’s midday sun, it was dry in no time at all and no harm was done.

To top off numerous acts of kindness over the two day event, Jeff and Donald posted back some walking shoes I had foolishly left behind.

I’ll leave you with one more picture from around the same time: gifts from the garden of another kind Mississippian, Jesse Yancy.