A Child’s Dance

Earlier in the week, in the span of just over 48 hours, I officiated at the funeral of a 50 year old choir member, deeply loved and sorely missed by all who knew her; got the news that my wife had a lump in her breast; and heard from my 25 year old son, a veteran of combat in Afghanistan, that the VA was considering checking him to see if he had suffered any brain damage from the near-by explosions he experienced in combat.  Our days hear in Atlanta have been uniformly grey recently, and the skies matched my mood.

The next day my two and a half year old granddaughter had her first ballet recital.  Horrific traffic getting to her studio, but it was a joyful gift to see her.  Naomi and her group only had one song to dance to, but she wa clearly enjoying herself, and was very much into it when she wasn’t looking at mom and dad.  Lots of smiles, and she actually seemed to be keeping the beat.  When she got back to her home she continued to dance, enjoying movement and the gift of life.  It was a shaft of light for me in the midst of the dark.  And serves as promise of more light to come.

I should add that while there is another test to run, early reports on my wife are encouraging.