A Final Hanukkah Miracle

As I was Blogging away upstairs in my room last week, I heard an ominous crash in the kitchen. I came downstairs later to find the remnants of my beloved ceramic tea infuser. The culprit hadn’t dumped the evidence, but also had not completely ’fessed up. I later learned that it was my husband who had inadvertently dropped it and hadn’t had the nerve to come upstairs and tell me.

There was nothing so very special about this large yellow acorn on a chain. I had received it probably 15 years ago from a work colleague – actually used with a slight crack at the time. It had originally come from his student days in Germany. It had served me well over the years.

My husband, who buys EVERYTHING online, had quickly ordered a replacement (most definitely paying more for shipping than for the item itself) that arrived by about he 5th day of Hanukkah. But it was about the size of a thimble and might have served to make tea for a medium-size mouse. So what was I to do? Revert to teabags? Give up tea entirely? Join the after-Christmas shoppers combing the stores for everything that was sold out?

On the 7th day of Hanukkah I sat down for my weekly cup of tea with a dear friend, when she placed a beautiful box in front of me – white tissue with blue ribbons and topped with red, green, and silver Hershey kisses. I opened it to find none other than an amazing red teacup with a built-in infuser. I hadn’t told her of the accident at home. How had she known? Since we met not too many years ago, we have had an uncanny mental connection – almost like ESP. We often know each other’s thoughts. We often can finish each other’s sentences. I suppose I shouldn’t have been surprised at all.

As I sit here drinking my morning tea – steeped to perfection – out of my bright red cup, I’m marveling at the continuing miracles of Hanukkah and I am forever grateful for a friend who knows me so very well.