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Hallo again to all.
Entering the parish hall, we drifted towards the tables where drinks were being served. Friendly, helpful bodies were serving hot drinks at one table and cold drinks at another. But it was the coffee & tea service that caught our eye. The table featured a troop of bright red mugs neatly laid out in rows. The mugs sported the logo and name of the parish. It was a nice change from the polystyrene and paper cups we are accustomed to seeing at community gatherings. And they exuded a sense of welcome. Those mugs were inviting us to cradle one in our hands. We took them up on the offer and carried away a steaming mug of tea. Was it subconscious? The warmth of the mug gave off a sense of permanence and belonging: we might be a visitor here today, but those mugs had been used here before and would be used here again at the next coffee hour or reception. They belonged. And, by extension, we belonged to their community – even if only for a day. With the mug as our shield against reticence, we found ourselves speaking to others at the reception, meeting more people than we can possibly remember by name. We definitely felt they weren't strangers and that they didn't see us as one either. We would have asked to purchase a mug to support the parish had the circumstances allowed, but we satisfied ourselves with a photograph instead.
We shall be replacing our AO mug posthaste. Chin-chin! See you next week. And if you have a favorite mug, please write and tell us its story. We would enjoy hearing how it found itself in your cupboard. 2 March 2014 P.S. Just as we look forward to your letters to us, this week we've written you a special Letter from the Editors. |
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