One little girl

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. (Philippians 4:4-6)

One little girl

She was five, as close as I could tell, but I am not a good guesser about such things. She sat on the concrete walk by a Spanish river as adults sipped wine at outdoor cafes long into the evening.

A cascade of jet black hair, full and free, fell across on her shoulders and nearly half-way down her back. Her attention fixed on the doll she held in front of her face. Eye-eye with her baby, she carried on a spirited conversation in a language I do not understand.

She never looked up at me. I doubt she ever realized I was standing there, less than 10 feet away, transfixed by her beauty. My existence was irrelevant to her.

I raised my camera to capture her, but immediately changed my mind and slowly lowered it, knowing I had almost committed sacrilege, breaking the trance of total trust and innocence, perhaps introducing fear into a beautiful heart absorbed in the joy of this single moment.

She was free. Anxiety had no place. It was banished. All that existed was her, her doll and whatever point of conversation moved her to hug companion to her heart a couple of times.

Her image comes back to me today, sharper than any photo I might have taken.

Although she never said a word to me, she speaks of the life that could be mine … and on some days actually is mine, a life where every fear evaporates in the warmth of knowing Love, where all that matters is being in the moment, eye-to-eye, heart-to-heart, with the Love who speaks wisdom through little girls … in a world aflame with God.

Pr. David L. Miller