"Beautiful thoughts skillfully written"

"Beautiful thoughts skillfully written by both of you. Tell Sherry for me how much I appreciate her poetic prose. Both of you have a gift for describing detail in a way that makes me feel as though I am there, in that tearoom with you."

Author of Crying in the Wilderness-A Voice for "America's Children"  Tomaline Sharpe Lenox

"It's a great mother/daughter, woman/woman book"

Sheryl,
I just had to email this morning and let you know I am THOROUGHLY enjoying my journey with you and Sherry to the various Tea houses in Iowa.  I am reading about one Tearoom at a time as a part of my devotional.  Yesterday I , ironically, read about Younkers--3 years to the day that  the Tearoom closed.  I am enjoying /anticipating your  perceptions of the various  places viewed through the lenses of the  particular day you visited--and especially the reflections of  your personal growth and the deepening appreciation of the value  of your  relationship.  It's a great mother/daughter, woman/woman book.  It's very personal--thank you for sharing in written word--definitely a gift, both you and Sherry share, each with a unique style. 

Carolyn

Connie Adkisson

Thank you so much for taking time to write Under the Tea Leaves.  I bought the book on Sunday and sat down late that evening to read a bit of it and ended up reading it through to the end.  I just couldn’t put it down.  Thank you so much for reminding me of the importance of nurturing mother-daughter relationships.  Even though my daughter and I are very much alike in many ways, we, too, are very different people, and I loved how you and your daughter, Sherry, made that point in the book yet in spite of your differences want so very much to work on your relationship with one another.  The book blessed me so much.  May your book sales exceed your wildest imagination.  Connie Adkisson

Jane Johnson

I loved your book!  I couldn’t put it down.  As I read, I would think “just one more chapter”, or “I’ll just read Sherry’s part, then put it down”.  But then I’d finish Sherry’s section and want to read Sheryl’s! It was hard to put down.  I finished it within 24 hours.  Thanks for sharing from your hearts.  The book is well written and thought provoking. One of the things that was reaffirmed from reading your book is that we don’t have to agree on everything with those we love, even on major issues, but that we can show we love each other unconditionally; and that the relationship is worth every effort to maintain.  It has made me want to do something similar with my own two daughters – to just enjoy the moments we have together as a special gift.

Jane Johnson resident of Urbandale, Iowa is a Des Moines Christian School administrative assistant and avid reader.

Olga Williams

I thoroughly enjoyed Sherry and Sheryl's tearoom journey.  Who would have known so many tearooms still exist anywhere, leave alone just in Iowa! Through their descriptions of the tiniest details, we see them "all decked out" as they flounce out on their excursions.  Yet their jaunts take on deeper meaning as they get to know each other as adults and as friends in ways they hadn't before.  This book is a lovely tribute to the bond between mothers and daughters.  Would that every mother and daughter could experience the same!

Olga Williams, former teacher of humanities and writing, retired from Alabama to Michigan's upper Peninsula

Mary M. Slater

Time-a precious dimension through which we too often hurl ourselves-oblivious.  Sherry and Sheryl wisely learn to savor its passage, choosing renewal of relationship over accomplishment of the task as they pass from sharing tea leaves to sharing their lives.

Under the Tea Leaves nudges us to carve out time to spend with someone special.  As this mother-daughter duo detail their visits to Iowa tea rooms, they show that they may be directionally challenged on the road, but never in their hearts.

Mary M. Slater, resident of Odgen, Iowa and retired English and French teacher.

Kathleen Deyer Bolduc

I just finished reading Under the Tea Leaves: Reflections of a Mother-Daughter Journey, and find myself the richer for it.  This most primal of relationships – the relationship between mother and daughter – opens like a lotus in the steam rising from countless cups of tea shared by Sheryl and her daughter Sherry. What begins as a journey through the tea rooms of Iowa quickly becomes a journey of the heart. In each tea room visit, in the simple act of stepping outside of busy schedules to spend time with one another, Sheryl and Sherry rediscover themselves as well as one another. Over tea and chicken salad, they end up asking the essential questions: Who am I? Who am I in relationship to my family? What are my passions? What are my shortcomings? Where have I been, and where am I going?

Sheryl writes, “When Sherry and I share tea with each other, we offer ourselves.” An offering is something presented as a gift, often something given in sacrifice in worship. While there is nothing overtly religious about this book, you will find yourself on holy ground as you journey from tea room to tea room with Sherry and Sheryl. So turn off your radio, television, and telephone. Find a quiet spot and sit down with a fragrant cup of tea. Let the petals of your heart open in the steam that rises from your cup; in the words that rise up from the pages of this beautiful book.

Kathleen Deyer Bolduc is the author of His Name is Joel: Searching for God in a Son’s Disability, and A Place Called Acceptance: Ministry with Families of Children with Disabilities. Visit her website at www.kathleenbolduc.com