#2 – Lenten Reflections
When 4-year-old Belle hopped out of her car this chilly morning at school, her blue eyes glistened as she looked up at me and proclaimed, “I have fairies on my dress today.” Yes, you do I confirmed. “Isn’t every dress better with fairies on it?” I asked her. “Yes!” She agreed. “How is your brother?” I asked. And as if we had just sat down for coffee she said thoughtfully, “Thomas is good. He likes school.” She did half twirls as she chatted, her green cotton dress swaying as pink fairies flitted around without a care in the world. “Adios,” she said giving me a warm hug. As she walked away I noticed her jacket spilling out of her bag. Of course, I thought, it may be 38 degrees out, but who would cover up fairies? Not Belle.
I pondered Belle’s faith in fairies all day and how even if a negative moment tried to tiptoe into her day, those fairies wouldn’t have it. It was as if scrappy little Tinker Bell (hmmm… “Belle”) herself was floating around sprinkling pixie dust everywhere.
On my drive home from work, I listened to the news – toggling between a few stations to see if something…anything good was happening. Sadly, other than the incessant ads for a HUGE President’s Day Mattress sale coming up (Sleepnumber.com if you haven’t heard yet) no fairies were gracing the news today. So I opted for my son’s favorite country music station and let my mind wander as Zach Bryan crooned about “Something in the Orange” – maybe “the orange” is his fairy – the little moments that sprinkle his world with joy.
What I learned from Belle:
Life is like that – cobbled together in moments. Like tiny precious jewels strung onto a chain of tedium. And amid all the crazy, busy, days when we barely get through the red light on the way to work, click send at 11:59 pm to make the application due date, or get to the baseball game as “…and the home of the brave!” booms from the sound system – we must somehow remember to embrace the journey, marvel in the monotony, and relish it all. We’ve got one shot.
So like Belle I’m going to find my own fairies. I know they aren’t hanging in my closet on a dress (darn it), but they are out there flitting around reminding me to live deeply, love fiercely, and laugh heartily.
Thank you for joining me,
~Lucretia
Quotes I love:
“My mother would have given anything to get old—to live, to have grandchildren—so the idea of being churlish about getting those gifts is unthinkable to me,” she says. “It’s a privilege to live life. I’d be disrespecting my mother if I didn’t embrace it.”
-Anna Quindlen
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