give & take

One mild evening in December, I met a friend (of #32 fame) for coffee & conversation at the First Crush Bistro. It is a way cool establishment with lilac walls and an eclectic menu that features "tapas". She ordered the Maryland crab cakes. I ordered their homemade bread, toasted. These humble snacks were enough to accompany our rich conversation about what God is doing in our lives.
Friend #32 brought a brightly wrapped gift to the table. Upon opening it, I was momentarily speechless.
"How did you know I wanted this book?" I queried, hardly believing my eyes. "I never told anyone about this book!"
In my lap was a leather-bound edition of a collection of Puritan prayers called "The Valley of Vision". As far as I knew, it was an obscure little book that no one I knew owned. I had only seen it reviewed in an educational catalogue -the kind of catalogue that generates a kind of greed in me for things that aren't necessities, but are intensely desirable nonetheless.
I don't know who was more ecstatic: the recipient or the giver of this thoughtful gift. She bought it for me on her trip to California when her sister-in-law recommended it. "The Giver" took one look at the archaic and poetic language and said, "I'll bet my kayaking-partner would really enjoy this!" How right she was.
Perhaps tomorrow I will post an excerpt. Right now, I must help #1 Son learn some difficult passages in his violin music.