iraqi family

snow fluttered down as my mom, nat, josh, and i followed dad and andrew. they were in the van loaded up with two beds--a delivery to an iraqi refugee family. they were staying up hobble creek with a professor at uvu until they could move into their place in salt lake. they needed furniture and my dad heeded the call. he invited all of us to go with him.

what a beautiful family. the parents are both artists and i always feel like i overuse the word lovely, but that's precisely what the whole family is. i tried to get the five year old to warm up to me because she was being expecially shy. i smiled at her from across the room. she blinked her gaze away from me. then she scrambled off her mother's lap and trekked upstairs. she came back down, having retrieved something silvery and shiny--a little purse. i questioned her, still from across the way, what's inside? i knew she didn't know much english, so i was also using my hands in exaggerated motions. i asked again and, though she didn't look away this time, she shifted her eyes a bit downward. i left my stool and took a seat next to her and her mom on the bench. what's inside? can you open it? i asked her, and she began unzipping. she opened it up and took out lip gloss, body glitter, and some other "beauty accessory." she had me apply some lip gloss and then she reached in for one last item. she pulled out her hand and opened it to reveal one last mint rolled up in the wrapper left by the absent mints. she unwrapped it and gave it to me. she didn't even hesitate. she just gave.


i smiled and said thank you so much. she said you're welcome in a voice just louder than a whisper. i smiled the rest of the day. so kind. as we left, she kept repeating nice to meet you. i echoed her statement. i echo her statement.

people are beautiful. i can't get over that sometimes. i'm helpless in falling in love with the sheer beauty of everyone around me. it's just so immense to me. and i don't think i'll expound on it right now. just a thought. like the lady at the deli warehouse yesterday (in albany). i was holding elijah and she was enthralled with his adorable, lovable face. she said God created something beautiful when he created babies. i agreed with her while thinking, lady, grandma, you're beautiful too. you're lovely for not hiding your smile. i know that babies tend to bring out the better in people. they're more prone to smile at you if you've a babe in arms, but still. sigh. i must get over this sighing habit, but sometimes it's all i can do--sit back and sigh and wonder, breathe deeply and continue living.