The burgundy coat

Xiao Wen's village, May 2013

My good friend in Bedrock, Xiao Wen (not her real name), lives in a village. Like many villagers, she works hard to make a good home life for her husband and children, taking on dirty jobs no one else will do and paying no attention to her own needs. They don't have much, but they seem happy and are always thankful for God's provision.

The other day, a professor at the university where I used to teach (I'll call her Jen, also not her real name) drove out to Xiao Wen's village, and told her that I had asked her to go to the village to pay her a visit. Jen gave her a beautiful warm, burgundy winter coat. I don't know if Jen told her the coat was from me, but Xiao Wen thought the coat was a gift from me since I was the excuse for the visit.

I wish I had thought to do so, but I had not asked Jen to go to the village, and I had not given Jen any money to buy Xiao Wen a coat. She had done it all on her own, out of the goodness of her heart.

The two women only know each other through me. Their lives are very different and they wouldn't normally associate with one another due to being in different social-economic levels.

Both are women of faith.

I love how they are looking out for each other though, even all these years after I, their common friend, has left. I love that Xiao Wen has a warm beautiful coat she would have never bought for herself, and I love that Jen went to some trouble to make sure Xiao Wen had something special to keep her warm through the bitter winter cold of Bedrock.

I feel weird knowing I got credit, but a third party, a woman who first made me aware of the situation, is going to clear up any misunderstandings in a culturally appropriate way. (For those who might know, D is the third party.)

Truthfully, I'm just thinking how this whole burgundy coat story has me feeling warm all over. :-)