My watch reads 2:59.
I can see all their little feet
restlessly poking through the bottom of the gate.
I take a deep breath and walk towards them.
I know there’s dozens of kids behind that wall
but my mind instantly goes to her.
Her smile,
her laugh,
those beautiful eyes.
I can't wait to see her.
I turn the handle and push open the gate.
Right away little hands begin
reaching for my camera,
my shirt,
my hand,
my watch.
but I’m not phased by any of it, really
because today I just want her.
Glancing up from all the chaos
I catch her eyes and we smile.
I don’t speak her language
and she doesn’t speak mine
but we don’t need words in this moment,
I know what she’s saying to me.
Leah…are you ready to catch me?
Absolutely I am, sweet girl.
I've been waiting all day.
She takes a quick look around
and clears a path between us and all the others
Then with all the trust in the world
she takes off running my way
and jumps effortlessly into my arms.
I pull her in tight,
her curly hair tickles my face.
She wraps her innocent 8-year-old arms around my neck.
We just laugh and laugh and laugh.
Then I pull her back from me just enough
to look her in the eyes
and tell her how happy I am to see her again.
She doesn’t know it,
but in this seemingly small moment
she makes my whole day.
Because God speaks to me in pictures.
He knows my heart
and what I need.
He knows that sometimes
I just have to see things
and touch things
for them to get real to me.
And I really believe that every day at 3:00
God chooses to give me a gift
through this precious 8 year old girl named Vera.
She reminds me of myself.
And of God’s crazy good love for me.
He sees me
in the same way I see Vera.
He loves to see me smile
And he loves to hear my laugh.
He cherishes those moments
when its just me and Him.
“I miss catching my girl”
God whispered to my heart today.
And I knew right then
that he was waiting for me
to run and jump into his ready arms.
Well…
let's clear a path Papa
because I'm running your way 🙂
