Thursday, March 24

A wee story of a girl

Once upon a time, there was a simple family, who lived on a simple farm. It wasn't huge and there was no extravagant barn or house. Just small unpretentious buildings.

The youngest of this family was a small girl. If you saw her, you wouldn't necessarily think that she was anyone super special. She was neither beautiful or ugly. Her mousy brown hair hung down her back. Her eyes were hazel and attentive. Her nose was small and upturned. Her clothes were plain, often worn-in hand-me-downs, from her older sister and sometimes even occasional clothes from her older brother. She was the type of girl who could blend in because she never drew attention to herself. To top it all off, her name was Annie...a simple name for a simple girl.

Annie knew she was often forgotten or overlooked, not by her parents, but by those in the town. Her sister, Rebekah, was the family beauty. Everywhere she went, people's eyes followed Rebekah as she moved with grace and poise. Random people would open the door for Rebekah, allowing it to shut immediately after, which almost always was in Annie's face. With a small sigh and great patience, Annie would calmly open the door and catch up with her sister.

Annie's brother, Thomas, was also well known. He was clever and could fix just about anything. Anytime there was a problem, Thomas had suggestions. Plus, if being clever wasn't enough, Thomas was also an entertainer. Everywhere he went, he'd make comments, tell jokes or stories, or do some little trick that would have people laughing delightfully at his antics.

But lest you think Annie sad or neglected, there were two specials thing about Annie that made her stand out. She didn't stand out in great ways to lots of people, like Thomas or Rebekah, but in small ways that meant great things to a few people. These few people were also often neglected or overlooked: like old Mrs. Hanson who lived down the road, with her family a state away; or her classmate Paul, whose own parents didn't love him; or the mother across town, with three little children, whose husband had left. To these few people, Annie was their angel. Better than anyone else in her family, Annie had the ability to listen and a compassionate heart.

She would often run over to old Mrs Hanson house to help her sweep the house and bring in the firewood. She regularly invited Paul to come to her house for dinner and to play. She would even help him with his homework, when she could. And Annie would ask her parents for extra eggs or muffins and run them over to the mother across town, and then spend time watching the children while the mother cooked or cleaned. With all of them, she spent time listening to their pain and their stories. Then out of compassion, she'd help or pray or encourage them to keep trusting God. Each time Annie came, it was as if a fresh summer wind blew in their door and brightened their day.

Once upon a time, there was a simple family, who lived on a simple farm. The youngest of this family was a small girl. If you saw her, you wouldn't necessarily think that she was anyone super special. But if you really saw her, you'd find out that despite being simple, she was quite special indeed.

No comments: