The Happy Child

The happy, contented, vibrant Child holds my hand ever so tenderly. It makes my heart sing with genuine happiness, gratitude and joy, not at all like when I was a little girl.  I was born an ‘ugly duckling’.  William Samuel pointed me to the Child within and I discovered the beautiful swan I truly am.  Nothing much has changed insofar as the human scene is concerned.  If anything, the scene is more challenging than ever but I found the meaning of being in this world and not of it.  It means living in the Meadow without the shadows of the adult world.
I will recount a bit of the drama of yesterday to illustrate what I’m talking about.
I rely on a cell phone for emergency purposes and had to make some changes to the service before going anywhere.  Took care of that (or so I thought) and went on to my appointment.  Must mention that I am using crutches as I’m waiting for a hip replacement and going through a lot of pain.  I called a taxi from home and it all worked out beautifully.

 The appointment over with, I have to get down the stairs.  Managed that all right and thought I would sit on the steps to wait for a taxi so I could admire the beautiful garden on the premises.  Lo and behold, my cell phone is NOT working.  To make my way back to the office I just left would be too much of a challenge.  I have a nice young friend who is the owner of a lovely ladies’ wear shop just down the street so I walk over there hoping she can call a taxi.  The shop is closed but there is a young lady standing in front of it.  She calls a taxi for me and she leaves but the taxi does not arrive!

 
Soon Melanie returns from her lunch break and is appalled to see me with crutches!  “I’ll drive you home” she says, “my car is right there”!  As we approach the car we notice that she is parked alongside a huge elm tree surrounded with wonderful huge, colorful flower baskets and all that is blocking the car door.  What to do?  The car is sandwiched between two other cars.  An angel appears, a nice young man who lives in the beautiful house we’re standing in front of.  He happily clears the way for us, humming as he goes about the task.  These two angels are thinking of every little detail to make things easier for me.  I am reminded of a biblical passage :
 
He will give His angels charge concerning you,
To guard you in all your ways.
They will bear you up in their hands,
That you do not strike your foot against a stone.




When I got home I was suddenly aware of the ugly duckling and the swan.  My memory flashed back to the days when accepting help from anyone would have been degrading, disgraceful, humiliating – a sign of weakness.  I didn’t know what I was missing.
The beautiful swan knows how to do both, she has learned how to give and gives generously but lo and behold, she has also learned to receive.  It became so clear that giving and receiving are one, that we truly are the conduit for God to be made manifest.

Giving with no strings attached – no “I scratch your back and you scratch mine”, no hidden agenda, no display of grandeur is true giving and is a blessing and a joy to receive. It does not belittle the recipient but fills the heart with love and gratitude.  Melanie did it all with such dignity and grace from the kindness of her heart.  Bless her sweet soul!

Peace and beauty already cover the whole surface of the earth but men see it not!  I cannot pick and choose, “this is good, this is bad…this is nice, this is ugly…”  Without the pain and suffering I would still be blind, struggling and stuck!  I live and play and sing and dance in the Child’s Meadow relishing the ‘good’ and the ‘bad’, immersed in love and gratitude for all the blessings, the wonder of God’s all-inclusive Love.