life preservers

One portion of this Sunday afternoon's birthday celebration was a slide presentation/pictorial novella of my friend's life, accompanied with folk music from the 60's and 70's. It was a compilation of photos from the birthday gal's life. There were lots of cute pictures of her as a little girl, but I was most impressed with her older pictures. She had a certain joie de vivre. There were lots and lots of pictures, and she seemed so comfortable with the camera. She allowed goofy pictures to be taken, like funny poses, pressing her face against a window, and dressing up in a self-deprecating, silly outfit.

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In college dorm life or in being a grandma, she demonstrated a gift of being able to brighten the ambiance of every environment she was a part of. It is not that she makes light of everything; it's that she brings light wherever she goes.

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Another such person was an amazing young lady with cerebral palsy. I met this other young woman for the first time at a Labor Day party. There are serious limitations on her physical body, but as I did a mental recap of the day's events, I realized that I did not have any feelings of pity for this lady on account of her handicap. (I apologize to anyone who reads this and finds it offensive that I feel sorry for someone with a disability, but that is my honest, natural instinct.) Instead, this lady left me with the impression that she was like the birthday gal mentioned above, a life-giver... one who enhances the quality of other peoples' lives.

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Friend, my desire for you is that you have these kinds of people in your life.

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[One naughty splashing boy from the Labor Day party.]