Maya is being baptized today, and I want her to know that not only do I love her, as does her entire family, but that she is cherished by her Father in Heaven, that she is valued and beloved, no matter what. And I believe throughout her life, as she is aware, that she will sometimes find God's very fingerprints---little evidences of that deeply personal caring along the way, as she leaves her heart and mind open to it, and I hope those moments will bring strength, peace and great joy to her soul.
As a little girl, I was ever so curious about God. At times I wondered if He were a combination of a Magic Genie, who could grant every wish, and the Ultimate Boogeyman, could make your life agony anytime you crossed the line and misbehaved! Sometimes I was scared of Him, sometimes grateful. Deep down, whatever my fears and hopes, I held to a trust that He was good and loving, and a lot of that came from a special song that left me sure of it.
I came to know that God can care about even the smallest things, and that sometimes the evidence of doing little things is His way of showing love that is personal and oh, so tender. I think of it as leaving His signature, because no one else would have, could have, known how meaningful the little intimate touches would be. They may not always come as the answers we seek to prayers; often we are left to grow through our struggles. But if we are aware, the important little things and the important big things, like scarlet ribbons, will come to us in a time and way that is just right.
So "if I live to be two hundred", ever will I know from where, come the ribbons, and the blessings---blessings, blessings everywhere.
Listen then, to a song about a child's prayer:
Scarlet Ribbons
I peeked in to say goodnight, when I heard my child in prayer.
"And for me, some scarlet ribbons, scarlet ribbons for my hair."
All the stores were closed and shuttered, all the streets were dark and bare.
In our town no scarlet ribbons, not one ribbon for her hair.
Through the night my heart was aching, just before the dawn was breaking,
I peeked in and on her bed, in gay profusion lying there,
Lovely ribbons, scarlet ribbons, scarlet ribbons for her hair.
If I live to be two hundred, never will I know from where
Came those lovely scarlet ribbons, scarlet ribbons for her hair.
Hearing this song that so penetrated my heart at a tender age made me believe deep in my core, beyond the realm of doubt, that there was a force out there, an unlimited source of love, a God who knows no bounds---who can find a way to let us know at times that He is indeed aware of us, that we matter, that we are absolutely, individually loved. No matter what we have to go through. That the sincere prayers and pure desires of our hearts really matter. Truly so. I have since heard these little personal touches referred to as "tender mercies", and how true and beautiful is that? But to me, what I recognize as the personal fingerprints of God in my life are always in essence, if not form, scarlet ribbons. May you find them in profusion throughout your entire life.
