I was struggling in 2017.
I don't mean I was struggling financially.
I mean I was struggling emotionally.
I was stressed… overworked…and all of a sudden found myself working overtime helping to homeschool my child, and tending to a sick mother, all while holding down a job.
Rest assured, exercise went out the window.
I felt I barely had time to do my hair let alone take time to relax.
No matter how much I thought I didn’t have the time to take care of myself…
…Deep down, I believed self-care was important.
Trying to do a complete 180-degree turn and transform my life overnight was setting myself up for failure.
Instead, I started small.
I decided I would take one tiny step to take better care of myself.
My grandmother always told me how tea was one of the things given on God's green earth that could heal all types of ailments; she reminded me how way back when the neighbors would venture into the town’s apothecary to pick up a batch of medicine.
My grandmother lived a very long life. She always found time to make “drinking tea” a part of her daily routine.
Plus, she always seemed to be very relaxed and calm.
I started searching the internet for the best tea for relaxation. Then, thought I’d make my way up to the grocery store to grab a box of tea.
But, as I was digging through multiple pages on the internet looking for herbs that would support my body and my health, I stumbled upon a tea challenge.
The challenge was to only spend five minutes a day drinking loose leaf tea and reflecting on the day ahead.
I knew five minutes a day was doable. It wouldn't take much to get started.
I will admit…I wondered how much of a difference this tea challenge would have on my life.
A question that crossed my mind was, “why did the tea have to be loose leaf?” Honestly, I didn’t even know what loose leaf tea was.
But, I decided to give the 5-minute per day tea challenge a go anyways.
Little did I know that my journey towards self-care as a busy working mom would change.
I started to learn about different types of loose leaf tea and how it supports our bodies.
I always thought tea was much better for you than coffee. But I never had anything to prove that theory.
I did realize I felt much more centered in the morning when I drank a cup of hot tea over a Vanilla Latte.
I still wondered why the challenge called for the tea to be loose-leaf over something I could easily grab at the grocery store…
…Until, I learned some information that made my jaw drop.
Most of the tea that came in bags most of us think is better for us… You know, the tea any one of us would normally buy from the local grocery store… didn't have many benefits.
In fact, I learned that most teas in bags is what’s broken off of the whole tea leaves you find in loose leaf tea.
Loose leaf tea is the tea that holds the actual nutritional benefit.
I even learned many of the teas that came in bags were the leftovers that would fall on the table (or even the floor) from the whole leaf tea.
First of all, I thought, “that is disgusting.” But I also thought, “if I'm going to care of myself, shouldn't I have tea that’s supporting my body?
And that's what I did.
As I sipped on some loose leaf tea over that 5-minute challenge, I noticed something started to change.
#1: I felt more relaxed
I’ve found the feeling of having deeper relaxation is common among loose leaf tea drinkers.
I felt much more grounded at the beginning of the day.
My mornings were filled with joy.
I felt uplifted and excited for the days to come.
I noticed throughout the day I was much more relaxed.
I came into each homeschooling session in a much better mood.
I honestly hadn't felt this way in decades. I started to feel like myself again.
#2: I fell in love with loose leaf tea
What I love about loose leaf tea is knowing that I’m getting the full nutritional benefits.
I'm not getting the stuff that’s leftover found in most tea bags.
It’s self-care when you realize you’re giving your body the full benefits sprouted from God’s earth. (Most modern medicine comes from the earth anyways.)
Loose leaf tea is filled to the brim with many benefits you'll struggle to find anywhere else.
If I’m going to put something into my body I want to make sure it's filled with quality, whole, nutrient-rich ingredients…not leftover scraps and artificial flavors.
#3: My love for supporting others who care about honest ingredients grew
During this time in my journey, I found out from my doctor that I had been diagnosed with cancer in the uterus.
My health and self-care became an even greater part of my everyday life.
Wander into the tea industry and you’ll soon realize most loose leaf tea sold in America is grown overseas.
As much as I love to drink rare exotic teas from across the globe, there is a sense of trust I felt for American-made farmer-grown products.
I love knowing I can take a stroll onto a farm and see where my food comes from.
I also believe in supporting your local community.
I frequently visit Soil Born Farms on Saturdays to purchase fresh herbs, seeds I use to plant my own garden, and even teaware made by local artisans.
As much as Americans focus on working hard from dusk to dawn, it feels good knowing I’m putting money back into the hands of hardworking local business owners.
I wanted to buy all of my tea from local farmers - made locally. And have tea that tastes really good - enough to make people swoon over.
But, you may or may not have realized American-made loose leaf tea is very hard to find - it’s extremely rare.
That's when I decided to become an herbalist and I started creating my own loose leaf tea filled with real ingredients from the U.S.
I knew I was drinking ingredients that care for my body and my soul. Being able to sit in the morning with a nice hot or cold cup of tea has changed my life.
I’ve found sipping loose leaf tea is one of the simplest and greatest forms of self-care, and it’s easy to make it a habit.
Give it a try and after, like me, you’ll look forward to drinking a cup of tea every single day.
I started sharing these recipes with my family and friends. They too started realizing the benefits of drinking loose leaf tea.
Fresh ingredients, and tasty recipes, with a modern apothecary approach, are inside of their cup.
Friends and family started to say how they’d look forward to their cup morning, noon, and night.
Even my daughter’s boyfriend who loves his coffee ‘John Wayne style’ - black and no sugar - was sipping the tea recipes and saying how delicious the tea was.
Knowing how loose leaf tea helped my self-care, nurtured my body, mind, and spirit, even throughout having cancer, surgery, and finally reaching remission?...
…I knew I had to share this with others.
That's why I started Bonner Grove Teapothecary — A small, family-owned loose leaf tea company.
We only source ingredients harvested from local farmers and devote hours to perfect each blend for a premium quality taste.
Plus, we only choose the highest-quality ingredients to take a modern apothecary approach that supports the body and the soul.
Each Month We Give Away Our “Sip to Self Care Bundle”
Each month through 2022, we give away to some lucky folks some of our unique products including:
- A bundle of our seasonal premium loose leaf tea handpicked by our staff ($50 Value)
- Plus, Watercolor Cookies - You can paint a design on your own cookies with edible watercolor paint. This is a relaxing experience on your own and it’s fun to do with your kiddos. Individually wrapped cookies, four edible watercolor paint palettes, and paint brushes are included ($27 Value)