A Small Mercy

Maya is a darling, wonderful girl. She's also loud and blunt--sometimes bordering on obnoxious. Sometimes she's way past the border, with her feet firmly planted in Obnoxious Land.

Yesterday we were at a large children's hospital. It's the type of place where your heart aches for the hardships some children have to bear, the type of place where you count your blessings.

Maya was sitting at a table in the waiting room, coloring a picture of Barney the Dinosaur. A little girl of about 4 or 5 sat down across from her. One side of her head showed the face of a beautiful Asian girl. The other side was hugely disfigured. I know Maya. I know she doesn't mince words. If she saw her, she'd say something--something innocent but hurtful. I silently prayed that Maya wouldn't notice, knowing that she would. Maya looked up and stared. She squinted her eyes like she was trying to readjust her focus. The girl pulled her hair across the side of her face and looked down at her paper. Maya leaned over onto the table and peeked up under the girl's hair, getting a better look. I literally held my breath and prayed. Maya, please don't hurt this poor little girl's feelings.

Maya settled herself back into her chair, stopped squinting, and said, "You want to share my crayons?" The little girl nodded yes and they giggled and passed crayons back and forth. The girl's mom said to her daughter, "Looks like you made a friend." Truly an answer to prayer. A small mercy.