My friend E. spoke in church today. About braces.
She needed braces as a kid, she wanted braces and was all excited about it till the day came that she actually got those braces. Hey! They hurt! Nobody said it was going to hurt! And not just for that first day, either! She said she cried, she told her mom she wanted them off, and you can just picture the rest of the story: being reassured she would have a beautiful smile when it was over, retorting that she didn’t want a beautiful smile, not if she had to go through this no make it stop I don’t want them.
And now? She’s one of the smilingest people I know. Her mom was right.
You know the point she was trying to make about our Father’s wisdom. And of course, life puts real teeth into the analogy.
It isn’t always easy. I listened to her while remembering two years ago–remembering my decision to try to find meaning in the experience by praying silently for each person who came through my hospital door and what a vast difference it made in our interactions, even though those doctors and nurses and respiratory therapists and wheelchair pushers and the list goes on and on never knew. But I did. And then I had to live up to the request I’d made on their behalf.
We are meant to learn, to grow, to find ways to serve others better and with more compassion through each experience we have whatever our background, and, best of all, to come out in the end smiling.
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I am reminded of the saying “Be careful what you pray for!” A pastor friend once told me he backs up when he hears someone ask for patience. LOL!
Comment by Jody 01.24.11 @ 9:55 amI recently heard a radio interview with Karen Amstrong, author of Twelve Steps To a Compassionate Life. I haven’t read the book, but I thought the author made some good points in the interview.
Comment by robinm 01.24.11 @ 6:38 pmEveryday miracles – the kind we can make, the most meaningful of all to me.
Comment by twinsetellen 01.24.11 @ 8:42 pmI do see your point. Still, someone should have warned your friend that braces would hurt!
Comment by Virginia 01.25.11 @ 1:16 pmI remember braces. 3.5 years of uck. And as it turned out it would have been better if they HAD broken my jaw to put it where they wanted it. I have had 4 root canals thanks tho those braces. Ugh. On the other hand, I can get it fixed when it needs it, so it;s not all bad. Onwards!
Comment by Carol 01.29.11 @ 9:10 pmLeave a comment
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