Saturday was Mia’s winter dance recital. Little girls and one little boy dancing on stage together. Sometimes dancing in unison and sometimes all doing something different. It’s the beauty of dance recital, perfect in the fact that everyone just has fun.
However, this story isn’t so much about Mia’s show as it is about what she did after her performance.
I picked her up backstage and took her out to see the rest of the family. We gave her a dozen roses. Pink and delicate. Soft petals curling out towards the welcoming winter sun. Deeply green stems gripped by Mia’s tiny hands. She stuck her nose in and inhaled deeply. Smelling their perfume. Smiling in the beauty of their fragrance.
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She held the bouquet tightly. It was a big bunch of flowers for someone so small. She posed dutifully for pictures, as she’s not one for picture taking. Mostly, my photos show her sticking her tongue out, making faces, or looking off in another direction. But that’s her.
We stepped back into the theatre hallway for a minute because her sister needed a bathroom break. While waiting, Mia walked up to two little girls who were standing nearby and asked if they would like a rose. She peeled one away from her dozen and handed it to the first girl and then a second to her friend.
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I was surprised. It was such wonderful unsolicited act of kindness. Genuine. Sweet. True.
Their parents smiled and snapped pictures as the girls stood together.
As we made our way back outside, she ran into one of her dance friends and handed her a rose as well.
She then found three more friends and gave each a rose.
I think she would have given away the entire bouquet if there had been more kids still roaming around.
And finally in the parking lot, she saw another little girl three parking spaces over and ran over to give her a rose too.
She didn’t ask for acknowledgment of her good deeds. They simply made her happy. She wanted to do it.
In times of tragedy and sad news, I thought this was a story worth sharing. A reminder of the goodness in the world that one four-year old made seven little girls smile today. I think that’s pretty amazing.
So, surprise those around you and remember that unexpected kindness inspires more kindness. More understanding. More love.
Be the rose, as it is the gift of yourself that will make this holiday season shine.
