The Quiet Cup of Tea

*A retelling for children, based on **Portals to Freedom** by Howard Colby Ives, who tells this story about himself.*

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The big meeting in New York was finally over, and the hall was nearly empty.

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It had been a long evening. The room had been packed with people. 'Abdu'l-Bahá had spoken to them all about how the world's religions are really one. Then, when He finished, the people had lined up in a long, long queue, each one waiting for a chance to come close and greet Him. A man named Howard Colby Ives had helped that night, introducing visitors and keeping things moving.

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By the time the last person had gone, it was very late. Howard was tired, and he was getting ready to walk home through the dark city.

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But he was carrying something heavier than tiredness. All day long, a worry had been sitting in his chest like a stone.

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Howard was a minister. It was his job to stand up in front of people and teach them about God. The trouble was, there were things he was supposed to say from the pulpit that he no longer believed deep down in his heart. And that felt dishonest to him. Should he keep standing up and saying words he didn't truly mean, just because it was his job and it paid him? Or should he be brave, give it all up, and start over with a simpler life?

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It was a frightening question. It was so big and so private that Howard had not told a single soul about it. He had barely even said it clearly to himself. He had just carried it around, all day, like that heavy stone.

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As 'Abdu'l-Bahá was leaving the hall, He looked over at Howard and made a small gesture — come with Me. So Howard went.

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They climbed to an upper room in the house where 'Abdu'l-Bahá was staying. He sat down on a low couch, and on a little table nearby, someone had set out tea. 'Abdu'l-Bahá patted the seat beside Him, showing that Howard should sit close. Then He picked up the pot and poured the tea Himself, into two small cups, and put one gently into Howard's hands.

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For a moment they simply sat together in the quiet.

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Then 'Abdu'l-Bahá, holding His own little cup, looked at Howard and began to speak softly. He did not ask Howard what was wrong. He did not need to. He spoke about the courage it takes to live a life that loves the truth. He spoke about how the small honest choices we make every day get us ready for the big, hard choices later on. And He spoke about a wonderful kind of freedom that fills the soul when a person finally stops saying with their mouth what they no longer believe in their heart.

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Howard sat very still. 'Abdu'l-Bahá had never once named Howard's worry out loud. He had never said a single word about Howard being a minister, or about the trouble he was carrying. He didn't have to. Somehow, He was answering the exact question Howard had carried into the room — the question Howard had never spoken to anyone.

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> He poured my tea Himself, and answered, before I had asked it, the > question I had carried in.

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Later that night, Howard walked back across the city. But the heavy stone was gone. Inside him there was a deep, peaceful stillness instead. Before many months had passed, he found the courage to leave his old job. And before a year was over, he had begun a brand-new life, traveling and teaching as a Bahá'í and living simply. The freedom 'Abdu'l-Bahá had spoken of, over that small cup of tea, had truly begun.

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The kindest people don't always wait for us to explain what's wrong. Real love listens beneath our words, hears the worries we keep hidden, and gives us exactly what our hearts have been longing for.

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*This is a retelling for children. For the fuller account, see ["A Cup of Tea: The Master Listens to a Tired Minister"](/stories/pf-cup-of-tea-conversation).*

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