She might not be the first one to go up to you (yet), but she’s my favorite person to approach. Not once have I plopped myself down next to her without her responding to my sudden presence with a smile.
But have you seen her smile? I’d actually be surprised if you haven’t, because she smiles… a lot.
She has a smile that reminds you that all is well, and that all will always be well. She has a laugh that makes you feel like it’s gonna be a beautiful day (and it always was, based on the month I was able to spend with her and her team in Romania). She has made her way through the United States of America, and has seen much of the world. She is a quiet explorer with a loud mind. An incredibly loud mind, which some might never detect because of her calming presence. Seriously, there’s something about her. You can sit next to her, have a conversation, or just sit in shared silence, and the Lord will use her to bring you to a place of peace, even if her thoughts are running and her mind is anything but. She has an eye that is keen to catch even the tiniest details, the faintest sounds. Externally, she might be silently appreciating all that’s around her. But internally, I know there’s always so much more noise, so much more thought, so much more going on. And that’s why I wouldn’t mind sitting next to her for a few hours; I’ve never left a conversation with her discouraged. She loves nature. She is passionate about the world around her. She is a thinker, often clouded with thoughts or even questions. And that’s another reason why I wouldn’t mind sitting next to her for a few hours; I always leave a conversation with her hoping she got just as much out of it as I did. She is an undercover ninja with a ballerina history (and I need to both apologize and thank her for just going along with it whenever I would make up ballet barre combinations and joke around, because she’s probably the only person on the squad who really understands what I mean in talking about that unique feeling that only comes when dancing, because she’s been there). She loves to read, and can feasts on books for hours. She has a fascinating mind, and she speaks carefully in conversation. And you know what? She might deny anything good that I share about her in this space. She’s probably shaking her head right now as she reads this. You might even spend a few hours with her and never hear about any of these things, but that wouldn’t surprise me. She wouldn’t ever go out of her way to tell you stories about all the places she has seen, the people she has met, the things she has accomplished.
She doesn’t mind you not knowing.
And still, there’s so much MORE to her than all the things that I have just mentioned above, and even I can’t wait to sit down with her again to ask more, talk about more, learn more, laugh more.
Her name is Danica. And she might just be one of the most beautiful human beings I’ve ever met. And she might even be cringing as she reads this, but I don’t care.
Danica embodies this very quote from the movie, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty:
“Beautiful things don’t ask for attention.”
She’s a ghost cat (If you’ve seen the movie, you know what I mean. If not, get on it, pronto). She is the coolest person on our squad but you wouldn’t know that because she will never go out of her way to make you know that. She will never say it. She probably will never even think it or believe it. And that’s fine! But I’m here because I believe it, I know it, and I have, for a fact, been changed by the joy of the Lord that radiates through Danica’s very existence (again, she’s reading this and totally denying it in her head, but SMILING! Am I right!?).
I have to admit, the month I spent with her was one of my favorites on the Race. And when I saw her get up in front of the church to speak in Romania, I, for some reason, was not surprised with how natural it felt. I know that this is just the beginning of the Lord using her to speak His truth. She has swam through oceans of philosophy, yet she has a heart that is deeply rooted and firmly set on her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. This woman is a freaking gem, she’s a heaven-sent gift, and she doesn’t even realize it.
And so without further adieu, I want to write and tell her: Thank you.
Thank you for teaching me what obedience looks like, even in simply deciding to GO on the World Race.
Thank you for teaching me more about freedom, through the way you have simply allowed me to see you, and even in how I have always felt so safe in allowing you to step into my heart and see me.
Thank you for sitting with me in the car, as we both silently read, rejoiced and smiled at the beauty that comes in knowing that “these light and momentary afflictions are preparing us for an eternal weight of glory.” 2 Cor 4:17
Thank you for living a life that always reminds me to see the elephant inside of the snake. (The Little Prince)
Thank you for teaching me more about boldness, by speaking up when you have that urge inside of you or even by giving honest feedback to a teammate when it is most needed.
Thank you for teaching me more about love, through the way you not only give love (yes, you DO give so much love!) but receive love, even if its in your most dreaded form of love, also known as physical touch (I’m sorry for piling on you when we were in the village, and for hugging you tons without asking first… #goodtimesinthevillage).
Thank you for reminding me of the importance of stewardship through your deep love for His creation.
Thank you for teaching me more about joy, because the Lord used you in our month together for me to really know what it feels like to be overjoyed. Your joy of the Lord spilled over into my cup, and I woke up everyday that month super excited to be on this journey, super excited to be alive.
Thank you for teaching me more about the definition of beauty, because society often fools us into thinking that beauty is determined by what is found on the external. You have a gift to always see beyond.
As much as you doubt yourself, I’m always astounded and encouraged by your appreciative eyes for His creation all around you, and by the deep and unwavering faith that you have in the existence of our beautiful Creator.
I pray that you doubt yourself less, and that you come to walk more confidently in the beauty that you are, just like nature around us, with every single quirk and intricate detail that the Lord has handcrafted.
And lastly, thank you for laughing at me and with me (because if it weren’t for you, I might have been laughing alone).
Happy birthday, sister.
I’ve said it and I’ll say it over and over again ’til you believe it…
I love you and how I feel whenever you’re around.
with all my love and joy (and chocolate gogosi, which I know you also love),
Richelle
