Apostle Bracelet - The Long Welcome

Oban, 1956. Mhairi Stewart learned belonging after years of movement. In Oban, she invited neighbours for tea simply to stay put for an afternoon. The sugar tongs lay neatly by the bowl, their apostles facing away. Local lore named them St Columba and St Brendan, watchers of journeys begun and journeys finished. Mairi lifted sugar carefully, enjoying the small, bright sound as it touched the cup. Stories unfolded, laughter followed, and the room warmed. For the first time, she felt rooted. When the tongs became a bracelet, Mhairi wore it daily. The iron carried the lesson that love does not always travel far. Sometimes it arrives when you stop moving, set the table, and let yourself be known where you are.