This is the story of love, embodied in generosity.
When Lee and I got married, we received three exquisite crystal bowls as gifts.
If you know us, fancy is probably the last word you would use to describe us, and formal right next to it.
When we received these bowls, which were nowhere on our registry, we felt treasured.
This bowl was given to us by a couple who helped me grow up. They were our neighbors, and some of my parents' dearest friends. My mom worked with the wife eventually, and the support they gave all of us over the years was indispensable. I can just picture her going out of her way to find something special enough for us. They were always lavish in their love for us and others.
This bowl came from an older couple from our church. They were a classy pair. Not long before our wedding, she had been moved to memory care, after he spent several very challenging years caring for her by himself. He could have ignored our wedding invitation altogether. He could have called the store with our gift registry and said pick something for x amount, put it on my card and send it. But he went and picked out this beautiful bowl, honoring his wife's impeccable taste, and demonstrating for us the meaning of "to love, honor and cherish, 'til death do us part". She would have been so proud of him, and probably as grateful as we were.
These beautiful treasures have been in my china cabinet for almost twenty years, along with some others. I loved looking at them often. But the china cabinet was big and we wanted to use the space differently. So I made some art to put on the wall where it had been. It's so nice to be able to still enjoy my bowls there. They've made a lasting impression. Just like the people who gave them to us.
"And now these things remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love."
1 Corinthians 13:13
