I met a girl for tea today.

I met a girl for tea today. Sitting on the table was a newspaper filled with news of too many deaths in to many parts of the world, a cup of pu-erh and a smile.

I found myself holding a cup of the mysterious, ancient jade fire and was hardly aware I was awake.

As I sat down she reminded me of the terrible beauty that lay beneath the rubble of Haiti. The pictures showed what appeared to be a city. The rubble looked as if atoms had been smashed at the central square, but the people had ducked and missed the explosion. Most of the people anyways. She said, "I've heard this story already but it's still so sad." She sipped her tea and looked past me for a moment.

I noticed the headline just above the fold "Amid rubble, seeking refuge in faith." God didn't destroy your city and God isn't going to rebuild it, but those people in the pictures will and let us hope that God's strength will trickle from the sky with every brick they lift, I thought to myself. I pointed to the headline as we both rejoined the conversation, but the thought was lost in her sadness. I grasped my cup, shivered for a moment then turned in my seat to save my body heat. My gaze embraced her beautiful eyes, which were shimmering with a softness you could fall asleep to, before exploring the curves of her lips roll smoothly over her words "I don't think I can spend another winter in this city."

Before I said, "Winter is the one thing we've all got in common and damn does it make spring that much more beautiful" I took a large sip of my light green shaded tea and took a breath.

I met a girl for tea today and I may have found love in a cup of pu-erh.