Mrs. Teabody Praises Packages of Love

O brave new world that has such creatures in it.

Good Morning from  a cool, starry and blowy Meadow Grounds Mountain where the last hour or so  found the Teabodys stirring,  making vegetable stock, bringing the tea kettle up to boil TWICE and wearing socks all around. The Teabodys shall be hosting quite a festive enterprise tomorrow, and, doubtless, you will be much abused with tales surrounding the event, but not this morning, Gentle Reader. This morning will be devoted to the creative energies of some beloved friends and the effect of loving hearts.

Mrs. Teabody placed the above  two "containers"on the dining room table this morning and snapped their picture.. The top one is a delicate bird cage that holds no bird but instead holds a tidy stack of tiny little scrolls. The bottom is a cardboard box sent Priority Mail  from Illinois. What do these two containers hold in common? First of all, both are from females with specially reserved spots in Mrs. Teabody's heart. One is a friend from childhood days; one is a friend through family, a beloved niece. The childhood friend grew up in New Grenada; the beloved niece's mother grew up less than a mile away. Perhaps the New Grenada connection needs to be explored at some point but more important is the effect  such surprises have on Mrs. Teabody.

The bird cage is ambergris-coated, sparkly with gold sparkles and topped by a satin ribbon. Inside, a glass container holds a month's worth of  gold be-ribboned scrolls, each an encouragement, a witticism, a commentary. Mrs. Teabody's niece presented this gift saying it should be opened "as needed." :) Mrs. Teabody's niece is masterful in creating beauty, and the feminine cage is lovely.  Each scroll must have taken quite a bit of effort--so perfect! This piece of art from the heart sits on the mantle in the Teabody dining room bringing enough joy on sight that so far there has been no need to disturb its perfection. Thank You, Darci.

The package sat sealed on the hearth as well for several days as Mrs. Teabody wanted to open it in a calm and appreciative state of mind--sometime AFTER the madness of FFFF. Mrs. Teabody unfolded the pansy-edged STATIONERY to see her friend's lovely, familiar, CURSIVE handwriting:  (I) "wanted to  return the kindness and surprise you with this package today." Tears formed in Mrs. Teabody's eyes just reading it. Tears form NOW. The first prize inside to capture Mrs. Teabody's attention was a delicate pink Wedgewood teapot, a lovely ornament which now sits on the mantle next to the bird cage. Next were the containers. Having been treated to delicious cookies from this dear friend in the past, imagine the delight of reading the following labels: Buttered roasted peanut, Butterscotch cashew, Lemon cranberry and Snickerdoodles. Perhaps YOU bake cookies, Gentle Reader and you KNOW the sort of effort required, the fiddling and fooling about, the MESS! Mrs. Teabody KNOWS and is so very moved by it all. Thank You, Sharon.

Listening to the news is an assault and an insult. A few mornings ago Mrs. Teabody listened to NINE minutes of reporting on a DEADLY tornado which resulted in ONE eighteen-wheeler overturning-- footage shown no fewer than FOUR times. Much ado for the sake of much ado? Mrs. Teabody thinks so. Mrs. Teabody strongly encourages you to turn off the so-called news and start doing what all of you do so well. Start being human. 

Doubtless before you even sat down this morning to play at computer, you made coffee, wrote a letter, finished a couple rows on the sweater you're knitting for someone you love. You made the bed, put the house to rights, threw a load of laundry in the washing machine. All these are things HUMANS do to make the world . . . humane, which Miriam-Webster defines as: marked by compassion, sympathy, or consideration.

 Mrs. Teabody thanks every one of  you for your loving hearts and encourages you to reach out in the way that Darci and Sharon did for Mrs. Teabody. Make your own news. Start being human. You'll be amazed by what you achieve.
Ta for now!

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