Girl's Day 2014

My 9 year old daughter has been lobbying heavily for months for a Girl's Day when we would venture into town sans boys and go wherever our hearts desired. I finally cleared the space on the calendar, made the time and suggested she make her list of stopping points  - Target, Barnes and Noble, lunch at Chick-Fil-A, a ride on the mall train, a visit to Claire's for accessories and a stop by Build-A-Bear. She told me she had been saving her money and had a few items she wanted to look for.  I offered to pick up the tab for lunch. She was delighted! She even invited her little sister to join us. And off we went. It was a marvel. A big smile. Lots of giggles and two joyous little girls. But the magical moment was at lunch. The two girls seated side by side eating their nuggets and french fries, drinking lemonade when the 3-year-old in the midst of nibbling on a fry looked at her big sister, leaned close and casually whispered in her ear, "You're beautiful."  And then she got back to her fries.

Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear— but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious. I Peter 3:3-4 ESV

Story time

A few Fridays a month my daughters and I attend story time at our local library.  It's a brief twenty minute experience that includes a couple of songs, a finger-play, several stories and a craft.  But what is really interesting about story time are the people who come. There's Shane who brings a bag of Duplos and dumps them on the floor, so he can throw them around while he listens.  There's the twin sisters who sit quietly snuggled on their mother's lap.  And there's soon-to-be three-year old Sophie who tells everyone where to sit and if you are lucky, she'll hold your hand.

But the one who really intrigues me is Sophie's grandmother.  She's 71 and looks as if she's in her fifties.  This past Friday we were sitting together working on our Dr. Seuss puppets to commemorate the Seuss fellows birthday when Sophie's grandmother began to admire my daughter's long, brown hair.   "I want to tell you a story,"  she said softly.  And then she began.

When Sophie's grandmother was 9 years old she had long hair -  hair so long she could sit on it.  Her father had died when she was only twenty-eight months old leaving her mother to care for two young daughters.  Over the years her mother had made ends meet by doing bead work and sewing projects for people.  But this particular year as Christmas drew close, the family's resources were quite low.  One day her mother sat her young daughter -  with hair so long you could sit on it -  down on a stool, braided that beautiful long hair and then cut it off just behind her ears.  When she was done she wrapped that braid in tissue paper and took it to down-town Richmond to the doll shop where she sold it for $58.  "It was premium hair," said Sophie's grandmother.  "My mother was able to pay the electric bill, buy my sister a coat, a pair of shoes for me, a coat for herself, get 2 Christmas presents for each of us, and a turkey...all with the money she made from my hair."  
 
Sometimes love requires so much of us.  What is love requiring of you today? 

"Love each other as I have loved you."  John 15:12

Encourage

Only eight years old, his head was bent low over the paper as he struggled with the numbers. Some things came easy. Some things did not. This was one of those things. I worked quietly in the room, waiting, when with a soft voice and eyes blinking back tears he said, "I just need a little encouragement." Encouragement? Don't we all need a little encouragement? How do you encourage someone? With patience. With kind words. With an affirming presence. With a shift in expectations. With God's help. Let's let the scripture be our guide, Encourage one another and build each other up. (I Thessalonians 5:11)