A touch of grace.
The other day I was at my favourite coffee shop sitting with a friend and talking over a cup of coffee. We were outside enjoying the beautiful spring weather and the courtyard of the coffee shop was full of the young and the old, the usual eclectic crowd found in midtown Sacramento.
One of the men at a corner table had a little daughter. This little wisp of a girl had glossy black hair, caramel coloured skin that will someday earn her the jealous glares of fairer girls, and huge, liquid, dark eyes framed by dark lashes above her pert, button nose and cupid's-bow lips. She was wearing a polka-dot dress and clutched a stuffed tiger by its nape. She was, in short, the very picture of adorable innocent girl-hood.
As we sat enjoying our drinks and conversation this little girl stood there, clutching her tiger and gazing around the courtyard at all of us. For some reason, known only to her, she decided to set forth on a quest that took her from table to table, person to person: young, old, male, female, people working on laptops alone, people talking on cell-phones, people doing the morning crossword puzzles -- everyone, regardless of who they were and what they were doing, and she gave each and every one of us there a hug.
I watched her work her way around the courtyard. She walked into everyone's carefully constructed and guarded bubbles, invaded them and with her wide-eyed sincerity changed everyone's life in a small way.
A hug, an arm wrapped around her tiny back, and the incredible amount of warmth that spread from that tiny girl pushing up against our bodies... a warmth that started in the heart and worked its way out. It was a blessing far more soothing and healing then any given by a priest, llama or rabbi. For that short moment as she hugged us, everything wonderful about being human was so clear. She didn't discriminate -- she hugged all: male, female, gay, straight, black, brown, white and every shade in between. This little, tiny girl told us all that we were valued for who we were right then -- we were all worthy of a hug.
And the transformation was immediate and amazing. One dour woman was intently typing on her laptop, a frown creasing her brow. But after her hug her entire face was transformed, and a smile smoothed her brow and made her eyes light up. A young man, schooled in the art of non-chalant bravado uncomfortably started to grin. An old, bearded Harley tough hugged her fiercely and tenderly planted a soft kiss on the top of her head. One and all we discoverd something other then our daily worries and cares. We had all our defenses and reserve removed, we all had our adult exteriors stripped away and remembered simple, warm, child-like, wonderful joy... if just for a moment.
I don't know who this little girl was. Shortly after her rounds of grace her dad took the hand not clutching the tiger and walked out with her. But I do know that she is remarkable. She managed, in a couple of minutes, to touch twenty or so adults and give them a gift that was so perfect, so sweet, and a perfect fit for every one of us. She managed to teach each of us a lesson that we too often forget in our adult lives -- she taught us what was really important and worth-while in life. She showed us the bravery necessary and the rewards possible in a simple act of a caring touch. She reminded us what is possible without agendas, without grasping selfishness, without expecting anything in return for an act of compassion.
I think we all left a little changed. I think all of our days were a little easier to face which had nothing to do with caffeine.
Do you think it's possible that we just grow out of our angel's wings?
One of the men at a corner table had a little daughter. This little wisp of a girl had glossy black hair, caramel coloured skin that will someday earn her the jealous glares of fairer girls, and huge, liquid, dark eyes framed by dark lashes above her pert, button nose and cupid's-bow lips. She was wearing a polka-dot dress and clutched a stuffed tiger by its nape. She was, in short, the very picture of adorable innocent girl-hood.
As we sat enjoying our drinks and conversation this little girl stood there, clutching her tiger and gazing around the courtyard at all of us. For some reason, known only to her, she decided to set forth on a quest that took her from table to table, person to person: young, old, male, female, people working on laptops alone, people talking on cell-phones, people doing the morning crossword puzzles -- everyone, regardless of who they were and what they were doing, and she gave each and every one of us there a hug.
I watched her work her way around the courtyard. She walked into everyone's carefully constructed and guarded bubbles, invaded them and with her wide-eyed sincerity changed everyone's life in a small way.
A hug, an arm wrapped around her tiny back, and the incredible amount of warmth that spread from that tiny girl pushing up against our bodies... a warmth that started in the heart and worked its way out. It was a blessing far more soothing and healing then any given by a priest, llama or rabbi. For that short moment as she hugged us, everything wonderful about being human was so clear. She didn't discriminate -- she hugged all: male, female, gay, straight, black, brown, white and every shade in between. This little, tiny girl told us all that we were valued for who we were right then -- we were all worthy of a hug.
And the transformation was immediate and amazing. One dour woman was intently typing on her laptop, a frown creasing her brow. But after her hug her entire face was transformed, and a smile smoothed her brow and made her eyes light up. A young man, schooled in the art of non-chalant bravado uncomfortably started to grin. An old, bearded Harley tough hugged her fiercely and tenderly planted a soft kiss on the top of her head. One and all we discoverd something other then our daily worries and cares. We had all our defenses and reserve removed, we all had our adult exteriors stripped away and remembered simple, warm, child-like, wonderful joy... if just for a moment.
I don't know who this little girl was. Shortly after her rounds of grace her dad took the hand not clutching the tiger and walked out with her. But I do know that she is remarkable. She managed, in a couple of minutes, to touch twenty or so adults and give them a gift that was so perfect, so sweet, and a perfect fit for every one of us. She managed to teach each of us a lesson that we too often forget in our adult lives -- she taught us what was really important and worth-while in life. She showed us the bravery necessary and the rewards possible in a simple act of a caring touch. She reminded us what is possible without agendas, without grasping selfishness, without expecting anything in return for an act of compassion.
I think we all left a little changed. I think all of our days were a little easier to face which had nothing to do with caffeine.
Do you think it's possible that we just grow out of our angel's wings?