A Boxed Blessing at My Door (04/23/2025)

Yesterday afternoon, my phone dinged notifying me of an email. When I checked, it was Amazon telling me my package had been delivered. I walked to the front door excited to get my white tea, green tea, and Barry’s Irish tea bags for my special blend of iced tea. When I opened the door, there was the Amazon package I was expecting to find. But next to it was an unexpected box. “What’s this?” I asked myself as I brought it into my home.

I checked my Amazon account under “track and manage your orders” thinking perhaps I’d ordered something inadvertently – sometimes I hit things I don’t mean to on my phone. But the only thing that appeared this month was my tea bag order. So, there were no clues there.

Then I looked at the label – “Art Direct” in Cedar Park, Texas. That didn’t help.

So, I just opened it. And the minute I realized what it was, my heart swelled with so much joy! It was a framed print of the foot washing by Ford Maddox Brown’s. And I had to just sit down and look at it. “How?” I asked my LORD. And the beauty of that print yoked together with the beauty of the thoughtful gift filled me with an awareness of a loving companion on my journey.

When my husband came home from his errands, he found me with my print. I explained how I’d found it with the mail and that I had no idea who had sent it. He could tell that I was touched.

Six days ago, on April 17th, I wrote about owning a print of the foot washing by Ford Madox Brown and how I’d given it to a seminarian as I packed up my office at the seminary when I retired. I also wrote about missing it so. I realize this wonderful gift must be from one of you, a reader of “A Soul’s Journey Blogs.” I thank you with all my heart.

I will hang it above my roll top desk where I write most of my blogs and scripture reflections. And daily I will look at it and remember this “gift.” And daily I will thank you for returning to me a meaningful, visual reminder of who I am called to be as Christ’s disciple. And I will thank you also for helping me to see and feel with Peter the gift – and realize that servants need another to serve. It will help me to remember that sometimes I am called to wear the apron and wash the feet, but other times I am called to sit down and let another serve me. It takes both.

Until tomorrow, let us all love well.