Ceramic Tea Set

This afternoon I stopped at a second-hand store - one that supports hospice care with its proceeds - and bought a tiny child-size ceramic tea set for the low-low price of ONE DOLLAR.  Why?  I had no need of such a set.  Well, my motives are hard to explain, but I was simply in the mood to PLAY.  As Mark Twain once said, “Play is any activity that has great meaning but no purpose.”

I’d just come from an appointment with my wellness practitioner and learned all of the hits on cancer cells were completely GONE as well as hits on a bunch of other problematic physical insurgents.  In the midst of other current challenges and uncertainties, this news came as a balm to my soul - otherwise edgy, but expectant and receptive-to-grace.  As I drove down the streets of town choked with emotion, I wanted to dance (always the case in my freer moments) and PLAY.

My playful attitude was not a demonstration of arrogance or presumption. I don’t pretend the therapies I’ve pursued have cured every problem, or insulated me from disease or pain.   Rather, my playfulness recognized a grateful moment in time that begged to be commemorated. 

Tonight I’m sitting in the presence of  candlelight and classical music, handling my tiny treasures.  With all due apologies to Mark Twain, there just might be some future purpose for them! Perhaps when I serve a tea party with granddaughters I will remember today and re-celebrate this afternoon’s gratitude with humbling awe in an Almighty Father who provides healing, and comfort, hope….and bargain-priced tea sets.