Our little lady received a tea set from her Grammy a few months ago. It is a completely random set that isn’t a set at all— it’s more a hodgepodge of tiny ceramic pieces, all taken from different sets. My mom told me that long ago, my grandmother (her mother) used to sneak away to the local thrift shop and grab another piece to add to the set whenever she had the time. Now we have this crazy mixture of cups and tea pots and sugar canisters: peach pieces, white ones, flowery patterns, and some with tiny people hand drawn on the sides with the tiniest little paintbrush.
When I try to describe how much LM3 loves her mix-match tea set, I will fail because there are no words! This tea set is the most interesting, exciting, fun, and joy-filled thing our little girl has been playing with the last few weeks.
She places animals and dolls around a small box, which she flips upside down so it behaves as a table. She fills the tea cups with tiny Scrabble pieces, pretending they are ice cubes (because her pretend/invisible tea is too hot to drink).
She invites us all into the living room throughout the day to join her party. Sometimes, Barbie even gets an invite, but not too often. This party is more for animals and baby dolls: Llama Dama, Ta-ti, Pretzel, Dolly Parton, and Koalie the Koala.
This activity brings such peace on my heart. Whenever I take the time to sit and stare, or participate in the tea party, I feel a calm wave wash over me. I look at the tiny ceramic pieces (some of which we’ve broken, others of which we’ve lost) and I think of my grandmother, who prayed and prayed that someone would love this mismatched tea set in exactly this way. And I feel her presence, even if only slightly, and I breathe into the peace of that.
What brought you peace this week? Share the peace!
4 the Love of Peace 