I remember praying to Heavenly Father that if he would just fix my nose and make it as pretty looking as the girl's nose down the street I wouldn't do anything bad ever again!
I was much like Anne Shirley, wishing her orange hair would turn a raven black.
Well, we know what happened to Anne's hair, and I didn't fare much better. God didn't fix it, therefore, I didn't hold to my end of the bargain either.
But that's okay because I've sort of grown into my blessed nose. And while it would be nice to have perfect features, I don't really care about those things anymore. Today, I am grateful to have my health, just as I am grateful for the blue of the sky and the white of the fluffy clouds overhead. Thankful that I have legs to run, heart that pumps, lungs that breathe.
I was reminded of that the other day when I went to my son's talent show. He played the drums. But it wasn't his performance that brought tears to my eyes.
Sorry, cute son, but I think he'd agree that the number that touched everyone's hearts was the dance performed by a boy named Gabe.
I don't know much about him. At first glance you can see that he has no arms and no legs. He has an amazing wheelchair that allows him to get around a school of a thousand students pretty easily. I have no idea how it works, but I'm sure he is as grateful for his wheelchair as I am for my legs.
I also know that he is the most courageous person I have ever seen in my life. He "stood" in front of all his peers and danced with pure inhibition. When he finished dancing the whole school stood and cheered. Tears filled my eyes and the eyes of everyone in the room. Even Junior High students. Who can say they have had that kind of affect on Jr. High kids?
And Gabe's face! Oh if I could put it in a bottle and bring it out whenever I am down or feeling sorry for myself. His face radiated pure,simple joy.
The joy of dancing.The joy of moving your body.
The joy of living!
Maybe he'd felt that way before, I don't know. But I hadn't. Thirty-seven and I'd never experienced that kind of joy watching someone else dance.
It was love without boundaries and courage without self-gratification. It was beautiful. And I was lucky enough to have been there. Oh, yeah, I can prove this because I'm at the very end of the video. I'm the one clapping. Funny, huh?
Next time you say you can't or that your not good enough, remember Gabe. You can do anything you want in life if you set your heart on it.
Happy Valentine's day to all of you. Love and hugs.
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