A night amongst the stars...

**** Please continue to pray and advocate for Lucy (see post below)************

     A few weeks ago Ravenna handed me a crumpled up flyer from school and insistently said, "Mama, Mama! I want to do this!!!" It was flyer for her school's talent show. Anyone who knows Ravenna very well knows that our little girl loves the stage. Her school is preschool -12th grade and pretty good sized. As I held that wrinkly paper I wondered what exactly she would want to do.

     As time went on, Ravenna brought up the Talent show and would mull over what she wanted to do. She finally decided that she would paint a picture. As the time got closer, we bought a canvas and "real" acrylic paints and one evening she sat down and worked on her painting. She knew exactly what she wanted to paint and how it should look...a picture of our home under a sky filled with hearts. She painted and painted, deliberately picking each color and brush, every stroke just where she wanted it to be.
     Tonight was the talent show. As soon as we got home from school she rushed into her room a make the final decision on her outfit. A week ago she had laid her "most beautiful clothes" on her bed and had been rearranging them ever since. The final decision was made and out she came ( 2 hours before we needed to leave), princess dress, a cape she had made out of fabric from her Grammie Pat, a tiara and her favorite flowers shoes. Head to toe she was our sparkly, frilly, regal Ravenna...ready for her debut.

     We got to school for our girly Mama daughter date and the parking lot was packed, almost every spot full. From the back seat I hear, " Oh man!!! How embarassing! To be on stage in front of all these people!" As she checked herself out in the mirror and proudly straightened her tiara. We held hands and giggled as we ran into the school and found a front row seat for the show.
      As we sat, she snuggled in my lap watching the musical acts, I could just see her face out of the corner of my eye. I wiped away tears as I saw the awe and joy on her face as the other bigger kids performed. My Ravenna was the youngest one in the competition by far. During the art exhibition, Ravenna stood in all her beauty underneath her painting. People strolled by and she proudly pointed up at her creation grinning as they "Oohed and Ahhed" she was truly soaking it all in!

      At the end of the musical acts, they asked the artists to come up on stage. My little girl bravely stepped up on that stage drawed by the bigger kids who had also done art pieces. Literally, the others stood feet above her and must have been middle school or older...and my Ravenna stood proudly in front in her beautiful costume. Pride beaming from her eyes, she took the microphone and gently said her name and what her painting was then turned with a huge grin right at me. It was definitely one of those moments that I want etched forever on my mind.

Little Ravenna with some of the big kids

Talking to the packed house about her art piece

       She came back down from the stage and nestled into my lap, full of her accomplishment when all of a sudden, as they were reading out the awards they said it, "Ravenna second place!!!!!" Out of all those kids, even the big ones.....my little girl had won second place. She looked at me with eyes giangantic with surprise and I scooted her back up on that stage. All by herself this time, she traipsed across the stage to accept her award then came back down only to be surrounded by a troop of 6th graders all giving her high fives.

Accepting her award

     I don't know if I can even put words to the look on her face as she cuddled up close to me. A quiet, heavy joy seemed to fill her all up. It was like the moment was so huge that she wanted to stay absolutely still and not miss the tiniest bit of it. I have no doubt she will remember it for the rest of her life. Finally, she reached her mouth up to my ear and whispered, "I am an award-winning artist Mama!"

    After the show  she and I went out for a late dinner to celebrate...this called for desert before dinner! As she closed her eyes above her ice-cream, in a quiet voice she prayed, " Lord please help the people in Haiti and Chile and Turkey who have experienced earthquakes. Send your Holy Spirit to help them. Make bread fall down out of the sky just like it did in the Bible so that no one will be hungry."....and at that moment I knew, awards are nice but this was something to be even more proud of. Even after such a big night, her heart was wrapped right around what really mattered. What a precious night with my priceless girl.

Our home!