A five going on ten years old girl was out for lunch with her dad and one of his friends. Initially when I walked into the restaurant I had not noticed her, primarily because her black hair was barely visible over the chair at their table. There was no question that she was noticeable. Her clothes were modest but impeccable. She never just walked. Her walk was more of a child’s dance with a twinkle in her eye and an “I want to have fun no matter what I am doing” attitude. Her bubbling ability to dance walk with a napkin dangling like a tie gave me a smile and a chuckle. Her intensity in carrying a choice plate, still dancing, was pure joy! Everyone around her seems to brighten up as she passed. Smiles and helping hands naturally came her way. In exchange everyone seemed to see life differently, at least for a moment.
As I think back, the quietness of the morning reminds me that moments like this are fleeting. I cannot think of a reason that they should be rare, but they are. I realize that this unknown girl in a city in China has left me with two reminders.
The first reminder is that one never has to just live. One has the freedom to throw oneself fully and completely into the process of living! Being present is ours to choose. She did it in a way that left no doubts.
Second, any and everything can be fun, even the mundane. Every moment is an opportunity to dance, even when it hurts. In the midst of uncertainty, pain, and even death, Hope is alive. This alone is reason to celebrate. You and I have more in our lives than we realize.
As today begins, I realized that the girl had taken old advice to heart in a way that would make any parent proud. David’s words ring true in her life and they can in mine; “All you saints! Sing your hearts out to God! Thank him to his face!” (Psalm 30.4)
