Tea with Ria

Chris was out of town for work last week.  Whenever Chris is out of town, I fill our days with visits to friends.  Talking to an adult everyday, even for just a few minutes, is important for my long term sanity.

On Thursday we visited some elderly friends from church.  As we prepared for our trip before leaving the house, I packed a few toys in a small box for Katy to take along.  At the last minute, Katy brought me four tiny tea cups to add to the box.  I didn't want to add the teacups.  We were already walking out the door, and I didn't want to stop to open the box again.  Moreover, I didn't want another toy to keep track of mentally in hopes of not losing anything.  But Katy insisted on the tea cups, and I gave in.  Praise God that I gave in!

When we arrived at our friends' house, Katy was clingy and shy. After a few minutes, Ria noticed Katy's tiny teacups and poured some juice into one.  Within a few minutes, Katy was willing to join Ria at the table.  What followed was one of the sweetest things ever.  On one side of the table sat Katy, barely able to see over the top of the table, sipping juice from a tiny teacup and eating carrot sticks from another.  On the other side of the table was Ria, small and slightly hunched but happily sharing her juice and carrying on a conversation in her thick South African accent.

After tea, Katy gladly toured the garden with Ria to look at all the plants.  As they walked out the door hand in hand, navigating the threshold and the obstacles of the raised front porch, I wondered who was relying on who more for support.  When Katy and Ria returned to the house, Katy acknowledged that I was still there, as if to comfort herself, and then invited Ria to sit on the floor to play with the rest of the toys in her box.

Praise God for friends in all shapes and sizes.