God's Grace Even in the Broken Pieces
I recently read that the Japanese instead of throwing away old broken items, will sometimes fill the cracks with gold. They believe that something that is damaged and has a history is valuable and worth saving and treasuring. Many years ago my grandmother accidentally broke a large china vase. I remember when she told me the story of the vase.
I would imagine my grandfather who died when my mom was in college, was not given to impulsive gift giving. One day he returned from the market with a surprising addition to the usual staples. He sheepishly handed his wife a large ceramic pink and white pitcher the kind that would usually adorn the hearth of a fireplace or perhaps hold dried flowers. It was far too large and heavy for more practical purposes. He told her he guessed he should have bought a bag of flour. That pitcher sat in my grandmother's living room for many years. None of her grandchildren ever knew Laird Parsons but they did know the story of his impulsive kindness.
I'm unaware of the details of the next chapter in the story of the pitcher. I don't know how it broke but I can imagine her sorrow as she looked at all the pieces before her. She may have been ready to toss the fragments and cling only to the memory of her husband's unusual loving act. Eva, her boarder and good friend saw an opportunity and not a failure as she took on the tedious task of gluing the pieces together. From a distance it is difficult to see any evidence of the mishap.
In October of 1973 Carrie Parsons died. The imperfect pitcher then sat near the fireplace at my parent's house. It was there when my father began his decline into Altzheimers and it remained there as my mother began to fade away as her entrance into heaven came closer. Mother is now gone and the marred pitcher waits for its new home.
My first thought was no matter how much I value the story, the pitcher is fragile and it doesn't go with my living room. These truths have not changed but perhaps even without the gold filled fissures this is a symbol that should not be thrown out. Soon a hundred years will have passed since Laird Parsons walked home with his surprise gift. God works through many things. He graced this family with an impractical pitcher that symbolized beauty and kindness, and love between a man and his wife. God showed that He works through the small as well as the large things in life. My parents, Laura and Olin Elzey also demonstrated that quiet love that lasts through the years. Maybe that pitcher won't look so bad near our fireplace after all.
I would imagine my grandfather who died when my mom was in college, was not given to impulsive gift giving. One day he returned from the market with a surprising addition to the usual staples. He sheepishly handed his wife a large ceramic pink and white pitcher the kind that would usually adorn the hearth of a fireplace or perhaps hold dried flowers. It was far too large and heavy for more practical purposes. He told her he guessed he should have bought a bag of flour. That pitcher sat in my grandmother's living room for many years. None of her grandchildren ever knew Laird Parsons but they did know the story of his impulsive kindness.
I'm unaware of the details of the next chapter in the story of the pitcher. I don't know how it broke but I can imagine her sorrow as she looked at all the pieces before her. She may have been ready to toss the fragments and cling only to the memory of her husband's unusual loving act. Eva, her boarder and good friend saw an opportunity and not a failure as she took on the tedious task of gluing the pieces together. From a distance it is difficult to see any evidence of the mishap.
In October of 1973 Carrie Parsons died. The imperfect pitcher then sat near the fireplace at my parent's house. It was there when my father began his decline into Altzheimers and it remained there as my mother began to fade away as her entrance into heaven came closer. Mother is now gone and the marred pitcher waits for its new home.
My first thought was no matter how much I value the story, the pitcher is fragile and it doesn't go with my living room. These truths have not changed but perhaps even without the gold filled fissures this is a symbol that should not be thrown out. Soon a hundred years will have passed since Laird Parsons walked home with his surprise gift. God works through many things. He graced this family with an impractical pitcher that symbolized beauty and kindness, and love between a man and his wife. God showed that He works through the small as well as the large things in life. My parents, Laura and Olin Elzey also demonstrated that quiet love that lasts through the years. Maybe that pitcher won't look so bad near our fireplace after all.
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