grace

I noticed Grace standing by herself in the special ward play area the first day I was there. She was a wearing a striped dress with a sailor-like collar and the first thing I was struck by about her when I went over to her was her eyes--shining, in the fullest sense of the word. I quickly discovered Grace has trouble walking, and is unsteady on her feet. So I have been walking with her, leading her by the hands and sometimes I let go and she walks on her own. When this happens she doesn't just smile--she laughs, outright--with great delight, and when this happens I think I feel something like heaven reaching down to brush its fingertips against earth and it touches a corner of my soul I didn't know existed before.

The other day the afternoon was in that state of winding down--the kids had all been showered and dressed and will soon be going to sleep. This is my favorite part of the day. The late afternoon light drifts into the room and I always end up finding Grace or Rose Njeri (more on her later) and playing with them. Sometimes I just walk and dance around with Grace, and once when this was happening, one of the sisters turned on some music. It took me a while to register the song I was singing along to and that we were dancing to was in fact "Amazing Grace."

When I realized it, though--it nearly made me weep (once again...I get really weepy in Kenya)--for it is by His grace that He is teaching both Grace and I to walk anew, leading us by the hands and--because He loves and believes in us--letting us walk on our own, but staying close--always close.