Meaningful gifts really touch me and so this evening I am particularly gratified.

Yesterday a friend gave me an olive wood Jerusalem cross from her recent trip to the Holy Land. I decided to read more about its design, four smaller crosses on one big cross. According to GodWeb, “The four small crosses are symbolic of the four Gospels proclaimed to the four corners of the earth, beginning in Jerusalem; the large cross symbolizes the person of Christ.”

It occurred to me as I read this that another friend had given me a scarf from Ireland recently and it has four quadrants. He chose a vibrant design representing the Book of Kells which, according to Wikipedia, is “an illuminated manuscript Gospel book in Latin, containing the four Gospels of the New Testament together with various prefatory texts and tables.”

There are no coincidences. These friends don’t know each other. Both were raised Catholic and have rich spiritual lives. That these gifts brought me to mind when they were many miles away from home … well, that’s special food for thought.