On Monday, June 22, the Etobicoke location once again organized our annual Strawberry Social.  The day started out dark and cloudy and looking like rain.  This did not phase us a bit.  We’ve organized these parties before and had even more interesting weather, and it never gets in our way.

Our class was a bit bigger than usual as some of our neighbours came for the party, but why not start the party with the Taoist Tai Chi® arts?   It’s a great way to start the day after all.  After class, the room became a whirlwind of activity as we each lent a hand to prepare our lovely feast.

Some assembled tables while others plated the sandwiches, veggies, and pickles, and organized the beverages that yet other participants had brought for our party.  Then the “table sponsors” (by this we mean participants who had brought their fancy table settings from home) decorated a table with table cloth, dishes, cutlery, tea pot, and in at least one case, a lovely pot of flowers for the center.  Yet another harvested flower petals from her garden to make the tables even prettier.

It is a lovely opportunity to sit and visit with all the people we play Tai Chi with in Etobicoke.  It is also so nice to have a visit from our neighbours from the Bathurst, Mississauga and Brampton locations.  The time flew as we chatted together about many interesting and pleasant things.  We got to know each other even better than before and shared a lovely variety of sandwiches… a big hit those cream cheese and strawberry sandwiches!  As we enjoyed ourselves, the clouds parted and the sun shone in through the windows, making the room glow.

We had another treat: not one, but two beautiful baked creations were delivered just in time to make us drool.  The participant who created them was unable to attend, but made sure that we would not be disappointed.  We had planned to have some live music, by another of our talented participants, but unfortunately he had to report for jury duty.  Still, technology provided some “canned music” that added to the relaxed and joyful atmosphere.

We all had a lot of fun with the riddles and puzzles on paper that another of our participants provided as an activity.  There was a lot of laughter and cleverness as we figured out those puzzles.  The prize for the most right answers was first to get a piece of that wonderful cake.  Sweet and very delicious, we had our choice of mango or strawberry.  A difficult choice!

What a wonderful time we had indeed.