Ballet Reflection...

Last December I told God that all I wanted for Christmas was a date. Its funny, because sometimes God answers those silly, petty little prayers for us, even when we don't really believe that He will. I know I probably didn't ask with the right motives. I certainly didn't believe it would be granted. I just sort of threw that desire out into the void one night, not even really knowing why I was asking. I still don't fully understand why He gave me what I asked for last year. Maybe it was for some greater purpose that I have yet to unravel, or perhaps it was to teach me a lesson, or maybe... just maybe, it was because He loves me and wanted to give something good to His daughter.

Last December I got taken out on a date by a man I barely knew. A good man; It was very unexpected to say the least. He took me to see the Greenville Symphony Orchestra's Christmas Concert. It was well thought out. It was intentional. I felt special, valuable, and beautiful. It remains in my memory as the best date I have ever been on in my life up to this point.

I'm not exactly sure why I am writing about this memory. Perhaps it is because I went to see the Nutcracker Ballet with some girlfriends tonight. We got all dressed up. I wore red shoes. I got lost in the music a bit. I found myself entranced by the gracefulness of the movements on stage, especially during the Arabian girl's dance. Slow; delicate; controlled; In a moment my mind began to wander. It wandered back to this same time last year, when I sat next to a gentleman in a darkened theater surrounded by such musical beauty that it gave me chill bumps on the back of my neck. Then I blinked and came out of that wonderful, warm, yet heart wrenching memory. Reality always hits like a brick wall.

Music is powerful. I'm convinced of it. It can transport you, transform you, make you laugh or cry, or even console you. The events of the past year are now history - my history. Looking back helps me to see my present self more clearly in the mirror. But, sometimes I still wish those memories would remain in the past.

Needless to say, I will not be asking God for a date this year.

(Image by Pat McDonald)