The little girl pokes her head in my office door and squeaks just enough to get my attention…then runs down the hall to her uncles office…her feet fall in rapid procession and I can hear her stop, and then slowly return to my door. She stands there waiting for me to turn and look…with her dirty cupped hands and t-shirt, two missing front teeth, big grin and messy hair…but still, she’s as cute as a button. She always waits for me to look before coming in…and when I finally do she rushes over and shows me what’s in her hands…a pair of white moths. Where on earth did you find those I say…her grin widens, but she does not say a word…she lifts the moths to me for closer inspection. I tell her that the oils from her hands will damage their wings and they won’t be able to fly anymore…her grin lessens and then she pulls her hands back…and I can see the silky residue of the moths wings powder twinkle on her palms. She takes them carefully to my office window sill and places them there gently…she takes a single step back and watches them intently…I suspect hoping they will fly up and away, and prove me wrong. They hardly move at all…after a few long moments she turns and runs out, and over the next hour returns a number of times to see if they are still there…each time her ever present adorable little smile seemingly overcome with increasing sadness – I can see this matter is weighing heavily on her. After she leaves I take the moths and let them fall outside my window…there fate sealed long before my hand…and leave the sill empty. Soon enough the little girl returns and seeing the moths absence stops abruptly…she looks around my office intently until finally her eyes land on mine…I feign ignorance with a shrug and big goofy smile. In that instant all joy and happiness is restored to her little soul…her big toothless smile returned…and the sounds of skipping footfalls down the hallway proved after-all that faith is more powerful than truth.
“Fling but a stone, the giant dies.” – Matthew Green
About Lawrence Lewis
I do a number of things professionally...but most of all and the true purpose of what I do through "my work" is to provide for my family, be a good husband and great father, and try to make a difference as a world citizen...I guess it's not much more complicated than that 🙂