Dancing Queen

I was late to church this morning. I know, I know. I don't really have a good excuse - I just was. I came in during the second half of the worship team's set, so I sat in the very back in front of the sound booth. I settled in, and I noticed that one girl, Mia, was dancing at the back of the sanctuary. Apparently before I arrived, Pastor said we could dance. Mia has Down Syndrome, I believe. I'm not great at guessing ages, but I'd put her around 11. (Edit: I've been informed that Mia is actually 27, but I'm leaving my initial impression to show what a youthful spirit she has.) She's always so joyful in her singing, so I wasn't remotely surprised to see her dancing as well. What a beautiful expression of love and joy. My thought in watching her was how sad it is that the rest of us are so inhibited that we would probably never be found twirling, waving our arms, and making sweeping gestures in front of (or behind) the congregation.

As soon as I thought that, the song died down, and the next one began. And Mia, to whom I had never spoken before, came over, grabbed my hands, and pulled me up to dance with her. She spun around with me, twirled me, and laughed with glee as I kicked out my legs whenever she did. I followed her lead, and we went round and round with joyful abandon. Toward the end of the service, she came back to sit by me, and when we stood to pray, she put first one arm around me, then both. I returned the hug, and we stood together. We walked back to the fellowship area after, arms still around each other, and I spoke with her mom for a few minutes about what a blessing our girls are.

Mia didn't know me before today. She didn't know my heart, or what was on my mind. And she had no idea how much I needed a little extra love and joy today. She just knew that she was dancing, and she was happy, and she pulled me in so that she could share that with me. And that, my friends, is how we should all be. We should share our happiness with others. Reach out. Compliment someone. Buy a $10 gift card for the store you're shopping in and hand it to the person in line behind you. Call someone just to let them know you're thinking about them. Dance with a child.

When I had to go, Mia didn't want to leave me, so I gave her a hug, and I told her that she can sit with me next week. I made a friend today. And I am so grateful to her for giving me that joy and love.