The ladies at our church exchange names for secret prayer pals. For one year we pray for our prayer pal and send cards or small gifts to them for their birthday and anniversary and other holidays. We reveal the previous year prayer pal each spring and get a new one at that time too. When we get new ones we have a short questionnaire to fill out with our birthday and anniversary and our hobbies. The first year we were here I wrote on mine that I liked tea because I figured that was an easy to get gift for me that I would use. It is so fun to do this in secret.
The second year we were here my prayer pal was a 90 year old that pulled a teacup out of her cupboard and gave it to me as a birthday present. She was slightly embarrassed that she didn't do more as my prayer pal, but I loved the old teacup.
The next year we were here my prayer pal went to a thrift store and purchased a teacup for my birthday. I also loved it. I realized when I received this second teacup that I was beginning to collect teacups from the ladies at church. I love that I will think of them when I use the teacups.
When that prayer pal was revealed last spring, she also revealed that she had cancer. I felt so humble that this woman was ill, but she found time to shop for gifts for me. Once the secret was revealed she asked about the gifts she gave me and was curious if I liked them. I sent her a few cards and prayed for her. She was receiving treatment and doing well. Everyone, including her family, was shocked when she died the week of Christmas.
I was even more shocked when after Christmas her husband brought me this set of teacups. He said that she had planned to give them to me for my anniversary which was the end of December. I was so touched that in his time of grief, he remembered the teacups were for me. It meant so much to me that he carefully wrapped them up and delivered them.
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| They belonged to her grandmother and all her husband knows about them is that they are very old. |
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| I miss her and I will think of her every time I use these teacups. |
2 comments:
Wow. I love tea cups. I love tea. I love having afternoon tea parties. We do it frequently around here. . . nothing too fancy. Usually tea and some baked good.
I am a sucker for tea pots and cups.
What a delightful gift.
What a precious, priceless gift, that truly speaks to the bonds of fellowship in the church!
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