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WE'RE (ALL OF US) HEADING deeper into May, Reader Dear. It's time for me (and me alone) to get the yard man and myself out of Cape May, and back home again!

As we're leaving the town, I'll just tell you this: We spent some time on Saturday afternoon rather unexpectedly .....taking communion. We shared the cup and the bread in two different settings, and both were surprising!

Here's how it happened (as I assume you would wish to know, Reader Dear. There's always the possibility your curiosity does not extend to such lengths, but then...my goodness....why ever would you be reading this blog [never mind this post!], were that the case, Reader Dear?!)

Okay, so, from the winery we went to a little cafe smack dab in the middle of Cape May. We each ordered a salad, the yard man and I, for our very late lunch.

When I glanced around, there on my right was a couple with a bottle of wine. "They serve wine here?!" I exclaimed to the yard man in a questioning voice (and not a loud voice I'll have you know, my dear reader!)

The next thing that transpired---(get ready for the first surprise, Dear Reader) our hostess brought us wine glasses. "The couple beside you is offering you some of their wine!" she explained.

"We got it down the street," the man at the adjoining table told us with a generous smile. "We'd like to share." And then he added, "We've got another bottle, too, that's even better. We'll share that one, too, when we've got it open."
 



Dear me. Our feeble objections... ("So kind of you! We've just been to a winery....) were completely ignored.
(Of course, it's not like we flapped our arms, or put up much of a fuss. "Today is our anniversary." I told them. And with that, the man's smile grew broader. "Wow," he said.
"Then I'm doubly happy I offered!")Thus we shared the wine.

















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Well then, immediately after, we strolled across the promenade to the lovely stone church with the steeple and the open door.

Cape May is a tourist town, Reader Dear. This church (historical and filled with lovely ornateness) was open expressly for our perusal, we supposed.

We walked slowly up the middle aisle, noticing the few people scattered about, meditating and possibly praying (it's a little hard to say definitely, Dear Reader, considering the nature of prayer).

At the front of the church, we decided to take a seat, study the fascinating stained-glass windows, take a leisurely look at the very old marble fixtures, the gilt-edged wording on the wall: Holy Mary, Mother of God.

More and more people were interested in this church, it seemed. More and more folks were entering to look around. This is quite a popular tourist attraction, we thought. Eventually worshipers sat down in our pew. My goodness, a real live service was about to take place! (I'm shrugging my shoulders; what can I say? We were massively ignorant of mass). After a somewhat lengthy period of candle-lighting and other lead-ins, the organ music began. "Do you suppose there will actually be singing?" I questioned the man beside me in a whisper.

We were not at all sure, but I can tell you now, Dear Reader, there was singing! There was also the reading of liturgies, a short sermon, and the reading of scripture. In the end, there was also the sharing of wafers by the priest.



And that's how we happened to have Cape May true communion, with wine shared by four, and wafers shared by several hundred.

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