From the inside out

Today, after work, I decided to take advantage of where I live and I went for a massive power walk on the beach.

The season is just is just beginning and the beach was full and older couples, grandparents with grandchildren and kids out of college.

I was a power walking fool on a mission.

I walked toward the less populated part of the beach and was amazed how empty it was.

And then, I came across a little girl playing in the water with her grandfather.  Her parents were perfectly poised in their beach chairs as they watched the two in the water.  Both parents were grinning from ear to ear. 

The lanky young girl had on a darling bathing suit.  Red and white gingham check ( I love gingham anything) with her little matching hat and her ruffles all over those bum cheeks.  Adorable.  She squealed with delight as grand daddy would left her out of the water and you could feel that she was his heart.  I smiled inside and out watching this.

She pranced like Bambi on that spring time morning with the butterflies and the animals in the forest.  She was having the time of her life.

I was one of those very fortunate people who had a set of wonderful grand parents and my heart always grows fifty sizes bigger when I see others experiencing this as well.

I looked again at the parents and how happy they were and then I glanced over my shoulder  one more time at the young girl.  And then I saw it.

I almost stopped in my tracks. My stomach turned and I felt every internal organ in my body. head to my throat.

She (Bambi) was SEVERELY burned  on her face and neck.  Notice the caps in the word severely.  My heart ached.  I continued my walk but all I could think about was her and the pain she had endured and the heartache her family endured.  I also thought about the pain forth coming from future operations. 

As I walked, I just kept thinking about Bambi in the red and white gingham check bikini laughing and squealing with delight.  Wow, what a spirit she must have and what a story under  there covered in red and white gingham.

On the return trip, I could see them from the distance. Grand daddy was still in the water with her and it looked like he was timing her sprints.  Man, Bambi could run. 

As I got closer, I saw one little girl in a Peace sign bathing suit, short and stocky with a sassy haircut approaching Bambi.  Short and Sassy was getting there just as I was and she walked up to Bambi and asked, "Hey Girl, do you want to play?"

Bambi looked over her shoulder to make sure that Short and Sassy was indeed speaking to her and she says, "Sure."  Bambi's "sure" also had an attitude.  It was the "okay,  I am really busy today but sure, for now."

As a mom, I wasn't quite sure what Short and Sassy was going to say but I am pretty sure that my first guess wasn't "Hey girl, do you want to play?"  I would have guessed, "what happened to you?"

Now at this point, I stop walking and pretend to be readjusting my shoe.  What I was really doing was watching Bambi's parents who were perched out of the beach chairs with grins that you could see from space. Bambi's mom had her neck stretched like  a mama giraffe. As Bambi walked away to Short and Sassy's "area", she looked up at her parents, who nodded and she knew she had the parental "go ahead" and the WHOLE time, Grand daddy just stood there was a smile as big as the ocean behind him.

I felt the gooiest of warmth in my heart.  God puts us all where we need to be at any moment.  Bambi needed a beach buddy and Short and Sassy was the perfect match and the parent's needed to know that some people can see a spirit for the inside out.  I felt like I was the luckiest because I got to see it all and it warmed my heart.

My best friend always says that if you take your basket of troubles to the Trouble market, chances are you will leave with your original basket.

Isn't that the truth?

I walked back with a smile.  Originally, when I saw Bambi, I envied her for the frolic in the ocean spray with her grand dad.  Then, I was heartsick for her.  And then again, happy.  But the person I was happiest for the most was Grand daddy.  Despite his age, just when he thought he had seen it all, he witnessed one little short and sassy Peace sign bathing suit, bring a different kind of Peace when she bypassed a physical issue and looked from the inside out.