I’ve grown a lot this year. I’ve changed in many ways. Sometimes I’m surprised when I see a new worldview pop up. Before we left in September I had little interest in the then-upcoming election and even politics in general. Now I hear about changes happening in our country and I long to be there to witness it and to affect some of the change.
The first Sunday we were in Ville Tecii we visited two churches other than the one that meets outside one of our houses in the morning. We visited a small one-room church in Tonciu. After about ten minutes an elderly woman walked in. She knelt down near the bench in front of me and said a prayer to herself.
Then she gingerly sat down next me. She only had about three teeth left and she was stooped over with a large hunch on her back. She only had one arm and she wore a scarf on her head with a long dress in muted colors.
After she was seated she turned to me and smiled. She gestured that the bench in front of us was much to wobbly to sit on. I smiled back, tilted my head sincerly and nodded my agreement.
Then I had my first thought. Instinctively, I thought “She’s beautiful.”
I was surprised by myself. This year has taught me all the more that I love children and the elderly and has shown me that they are both indeed very cute the world-round.
Still, “She’s beautiful” was an interested first thought as opposed to something more cynical or sarcastic. I checked myself and indeed that was my impulse. I was astounded by the woman’s beauty.
My next thought: “Well, that’s neat.”
