It’s not about the cuppa

It’s not about the cuppa

“I got your letter, thanks Fr. David. I appreciate you writing so quickly. Come for tea and buns on Tuesday at 2:30 pm”.

So feeling pretty chuffed with myself for my super efficiency and knowing that the tea and buns were going to be of very fine quality, I  gleefully trotted around at the appointed hour and rang the doorbell. A big smile on my face and my heart bursting with pride.

‘Fr. David. How kind of you to come.’ The tea was poured, the chocolate muffins produced and all was right with the world. Or so I thought.

“Now about your letter…” and so it began. It transpired that my correspondent was not only disappointed with what I had written but the way it was written. They proceeded in the nicest but clearest way to point out exactly where I had gone heinously wrong.

It’s a simple easy mistake for the naive priest to make and I should have read the signs more carefully. That would have saved me from choking on my English breakfast tea.

But it works in other ways as well. Sometimes you are asked for a cuppa and something far more pleasant ensues. A compliment or a request that is easily fulfilled.

And then there are the times when over the cuppa the relationship is just simply strengthened, renewed and enjoyed. There doesn’t always have to be an item for general business. It might just be about the fellowship, the relationship.

It's not about the cuppa… what’s in the cup. Good heavens it’s not even about the chocolate chip muffins or the caramel slice. It is about problems being resolved, friendships being enhanced and decisions being made. Ways forward are plotted.

It’s never about the cuppa. It was never about the cuppa. It’s always something much more.