Grace

Interesting how people never label babies and pity them for their shortcomings in this world
People don’t stare at babies wondering what’s wrong with them or think of them as slow.
You’d never hear someone say something like; “Look at that tiny human! It can’t even get where it wants to go!”
Why is that so? Is it the way some people think? Or is it because people have come to expect things like that that from an infant?
So, is one’s difference acceptable because society sees it as a norm?
What about those who form other ways or paths for communicating or thinking?
Does that make them abnormal, handicapped or different?
I think it’s an orthographical issue
People tend to throw around the word “disabled” – no one ever taught them to use an M and an L instead, and that the word was pronounced “Mis-labeled”
Lucky for me, I met a little girl recently who taught me how to spell
And she taught me well, even though her words didn’t carry the same vocation
It’s a continuing education and she gives it to everyone who loves her, for free,
You see, she’s taught me that Grace is always spelled with a capital “G”
And that’s how she came into this world, Gracefully.
Ooooooh, not me.
I came in kicking in screaming and live every day dreaming that I could be or have, more
That things would be different or better
These are the things I’ve been working on since the day that I met her
Like, maybe I wouldn’t be such an emotional disaster,
Or maybe that I was tired of always being so round.
But she found a way to teach me that similar to Grace, to spell Beauty I also need to use a capital “B”.
And that all aspects of Beauty I can find, internally,
That’s why they call it your “Belly” – and coincidentally that’s why there’s so much of it to see.
It’s the core of who you are and it houses in it much more than the nutrients you imbide, but also the courage and fortitude you show when you stand up and fight.
And she taught me that the word “Fight” was spelled with a capital “L”
Because for her, what we call a Fight is what she calls her Life.
She wears braces on her legs, like you wear your pride
Because they may be what you see, but they’re not what defines her inside.
And you may think that sometimes her smile seems contrived
But she has no sense about her to hide who she is.
Because to her, and anyone that knows her, she is perfect
And she’s taught me to use my self-worth to take an MRI of my chest and analyze my heart
I can hear the words between her breath whisper:
You may find yourself there, and you’ll never know for sure unless you start.
And her blue eyes seem to convey a message that if you can’t find it because the scans are too blurry, remember that there are people in this world who struggle to do things you take for granted daily
And that the trivial plights of your outfit on Friday night pales in comparison to those of the unheard cries of children who refuse to cry because instead they choose to survive.
And she taught me that the word “Survive” was spelled with a capital “F”
It’s a Fight we all see her battling but as we’ve learned, she calls that Fight – life
And by the Grace and Beauty of God she wins every, single, day blessing the rest of us with her light.
A fight she fights willingly to teach those around her to be better versions of themselves because they can do so with more ease than it would take for her to simply ask them to do so!
And she does so much more than simply survive, she uplifts, teaches, and inspires.
And all I want is to thank her for every lesson she’s taught me and every lesson she is patient enough to let me learn from her when I’m able to listen.
But, what do you tell someone who can’t comprehend what you’re thanking them for?
It’s not that she is incapable of understanding the words as they leave my mouth,
But instead, that the magnitude of her offering extends beyond the confines of that which she has come to know and understand as reality.
Or that she was blessed with a superpower that penetrates our hearts in the absence of apathy
You see, she has the ability to tighten the resolve on those around her to the fact that this world isn’t perfect but that we can all fight to make it better.
And she reminds me of that when I sit with her and she takes my glasses as her treasure
She then drops them on the floor because she knows I’ll always pick them up and hand them back to her.
You see, life never handed her anything, so in this act she finds great pleasure, in what we call, “the little things”
And she taught me that “Little Things” is spelled with a capital “L”, like
“Laughter” and “Love” and “Long hugs”
And we call those Long Hugs the “Best Ever Hugs” and do you know why?
Because there is nothing in this world, nothing, that is more rewarding or can make you feel better than when she takes ahold.
And if you are found wanting just remember, that Gracie is only 6 years old.
Think of walking a mile in her shoes
How sore would your feet be when you were done?
How many times would you have wanted to stop and simply give up.
But she doesn’t, she keeps living to teach and reach the deepest parts of ourselves and only she can see
For her, it’s not a matter of who she chooses to be, but whom she allows the education to see clearly.
And she’s has taught me that you don’t need any “I’s” to spell see because she spells it Believe, with a capital “B”
So when you need to validate yourself close your eyes and look deep inside.
That’s why you never see her look in a mirror.
She doesn’t need help to see herself clearer.
The beauty of her very essence is exuded from the forces she creates in pulling those around her closer to God and closer together
Whether she is your girlfriend, your niece, your blessing, or your daughter
She will always be the epitome of Grace, and one hell of an English Professor.