S.Elf's Easter Ears & The Magic Cup

Easter greetings, gang!

Amongst the varied religions of the peoples of the world, this day is observed for different reasons.

For me, it's a commemoration of the morning an empty tomb was found, and noting the absence of the most famously selfless and perfect individual whoever lived.

Jesus.

Such a simple and common name, for the most extraordinar person who ever graced this planet.

Author, Rev. Max Lucado once advised, that for all the people of whom parents can teach their kids to look up to, and model themselves after in areas of bravado, forgiveness, and a life well-lived, there is only One who did it perfectly.

In reference to another of my favorite author's, who penned Kipling's Thousandth Man, Rudyard Kipling wrote, "One man in a thousand, will stick closer than a brother, but the Thousandth Man will stand by your side, to the gallows foot and after."

For those of us who have a relationship with this Man, that's exactly how it is.  For those who go through adversity without Him, I can't fathom how they do it.  He is the greatest friend and comfort I have ever encountered, and I'm very thankful for Christ and His grace that has reached me in some incredibly dark and low spots in my life.  Even when I pushed Him away, He remained faithful to me, always with His hand out, calling my name.

I've done some incredibly stupid and selfish things in my life, but, because of Him, I'm recovering, and each day is another opportunity to do better, and be closer to Him, following in His footsteps along a path I should have never abandoned so long ago.

This holiday, like all the others, brings back memories of time with family and friends that I couldn't be with this year.  Some have passed from this life, and others are far away.  But, the memories still bring a smile to my heart.

S.Elf, with a little ear-propping assistance from
Amy Dawson, colleague and friend.

Last night, S.Elf, true to form and fashion, put a MASSIVE smile on my face as soon as I walked into the response center.  She never lets me down during a holiday observance.  And, her clever craftiness for Easter Eve wasn't an exception. 

When I saw her get-up, I laughed out loud.  I LOVED it!!

Of course, I spent a good amount of time moaning that I wasn't getting an Easter Basket from my sister this year.  Nee's made baskets for me, in absence of our mother, great-grandmother, and great-aunt, every time I've been in the area with her during Easter holiday. 

S.Elf - Easter 2012

Nee's baskets are spectacular, but honestly, it's not the great mix of stuff she puts in them, it's the fact that she bothers to do it.  They're always "signature" gifts, selected according to stuff she knows I'd like, but never think to get myself.  She's good with that sort of thing.  An example would be those great little dipped-in-something-wonderful coffee spoons or stirrers that I go bananas over.

As much as I missed my kith and kin, S.Elf's special Easter attire cheered me up hugely!

If you're going to be stuck working nights during holidays, it's a whole lot better to do it in the company of good friends, who go out of their way, to keep things in an upbeat emotional tune.

The response center is huge.  But, regardless of where any of us were sitting, we could easily see S.Elf's cap and ears.

I meantioned a magic cup in the title of today's post.  I mentioned it, because I have one.

It was a gift sent from my sister a few months ago, and it came with written instructions to activate it.

The outside of the letter has my name, below that is written, "Be blessed", and below that, a green wax seal.

The inside reads like this:

femme's magic cup and prayer cloth.

A Cup of Inspiration 

1.  A day washed in the sun.

2.  A night spent under the stars, "Heavenly Host."

3.  Washed in open water.

4.  Wrapped in a prayer cloth.

5.  Touched by a servant of God.

6.  Held in the hands of a good friend.

7.  A day of rest, with a white feather to rest in the saucer.

Now, before you jump to the conclusion that my sister is a practitioner of magic, hold up.  That isn't the case.  What she was practicing was appealing to my love of adventure, and my issues with missing her company.

She's been one of my most faithful fans in my writing endeavors, since high school.  And, she's also been the source of a great deal of inspiration with literature projects I work on.  I'm often telling her I wish we could be closer, so that we could work together, because things flow so much faster and easier when she's with me, and filling out the lacking parts of my imagination.

The magic I was referring to is the magic of love, from sister to sister, friend to friend.  This cup has a twin.  And, the twin belongs to Alicia, who went through the same steps with hers that I've done with mine, with exception to the white feather.  We both love feathers, but I'm without a white one, and refuse to pluck one from Jade (my love bird).  So, the white feather should be arriving in the mail soon.

Her purpose was for both of us to have identical cups, that have gone through this commemoration process, that we could both be drinking from while we're working.  It was her way of bringing us together, while we're apart.  I keep the prayer cloth it came wrapped in, on a magnetic wall-board near my desk.  In fact, I have two of them.  One was sent to me several years ago by a minister whom I've never met, but by all accounts of friends and family who know him, he's a wonderful man with a very special ministry.

It's worked.  I can't sip my coffee from the magic cup without feeling like Alicia's closer, which helps me keep my thoughts clearer and my priorities straight with whatever project I'm working on.  Amy Dawson likes to tease me about sleeping with teddy bears, which didn't deter me from my habit of maintaining their spots in my bed.  Hugs has travelled with me on nearly every trip I've ever made, inside and outside of the U.S.  And, Cinnamon stays home and guards my pillows while I'm away.

The cup is a link to my sister, and keeps me from missing her, at least a little, while I'm working.  And, of course, I still have my Dragon Laffs mug nearby to use when I'm browsing or reading other people's work.

See?  It's all good, and didn't involve any chanting, burning of black candles or drinking of chicken blood. (Grin!)

Hope you've had a wonderful Easter holiday.

God bless you, thank you for the read, and please don't forget to thank a Veteran at your next opportunity!

femmeflashpoint