Sometimes I wish...

Sometimes I wish I could go back and undo all the mistakes I made. Sometimes I wish I could go back and relive certain moments over again and make them last a lot longer. Sometimes I wish I could change someone's life and make it better even though circumstance gets in the way. That good intentions would be understood and not brushed aside before they help. That people weren't afraid to let someone else help them.

I went to a university performance the other night. It was scenes from various operas. One of the performers was in the restroom. She used a wheelchair. She'd fallen inside the stall and huffed and puffed to get back into the chair with just her arms.

I asked, "Can I help you?"

"No, I"m fine." She huffed and puffed and fell twice more.

I wanted to cry for her and applaud her courage at the same time. I waited.

She fell again. Her mildly deformed feet slid backward on the floor. I could see them under the door. Her little toes couldn't stop the slide away from the chair.

"Please, I know how to help you. May I?"

"No, I'm fine." She struggled for breath through the effort.

I understood her determination. And, she really didn't know me. So I did the best I could and let one of her fellow performers know she struggled only twenty feet away. The gal was a friend.

I don't know whether she ever allowed anyone to help her, but I do know that I saw her perform in the second act. I silently cheered her on. I willed her success for her courage. She did a great job.

Sometimes when you want to help, you can't. Sometimes for another person to succeed, they have to fall. It's okay to let them.

Always I wish that I live my life so that the Big Guy will smile when he thinks of me. I wish that for you too:-)

What do you wish? Have you ever had to let someone fall and painfully watch the struggle as they try to get up on their own? What did you learn from that?

Angie