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BEAUTY
IN SMALL THINGS
by
Mariane Holbrook
I
love tiny things. I look for the
smallest seashells along our sandy
shore, studying the intricacies of their
unique design. Walking through the deep
woods, I search for the miniscule flower
peering shyly from under a sodden leaf,
the fragrance from its satin petals
begging to be inhaled and stroked.
God
has a way of sending into our lives
precious people who are not lettered,
who don't claim great fiduciary success,
who haven't noticeably impacted the
world of society nor do they seek to
imitate it.
A
little wildflower appeared in my life
last year through the wonders of the
internet. Small in stature, somewhat
shy, but struggling to carry the uneven,
cumbersome burden that Multiple
Sclerosis placed on her frail shoulders,
this wood nymph reached out to me for
friendship and love.
Darlyne,
(pronounced "Darlin' by her natural
mother who lovingly raised her and saw
her ailing child safely into adulthood),
knew early in life the pain of this
dreaded disease. In her teens, Darlyne
knew the torment of being misunderstood
by the world of medicine. Loneliness
became her bedfellow; weakness, her
unwelcome companion.
Darlyne's
mantle is both bravery and courage. When
her mother was diagnosed with terminal
breast cancer and said her final
goodbyes, Darlyne's faith in God dug
fiercely into even deeper root. She
wiped away her tears with the soft
fabric of God's love that He had firmly
and tenderly wrapped around her years
before.
Today,
she spends many hours each day in bed,
swallowing copious amounts of pain
medicines, trying to surround herself
with music and literature to enlarge her
narrowing world and give her hope. Her
prayer life is legendary.
There
are three things we all require in order
to survive::
Something
to do
Someone to love
Something to hope for
Darlyne,
though bedridden for much of the day,
deals with "something to do"
vicariously. She takes extraordinary
interest in the lives of her sister's
family and in the lives of her close
friends. She wants details to feed her
eager mind.
She
has "someone to love" in her
husband who promised to care for her all
the days of her life.
She
has "something to hope for" in
the promise of eternal life given to her
by her ever-present Saviour, whom she
adores.
We
have yet to meet in person but I know
her by heart. She challenges me when I'm
discouraged. She lights a candle in my
soul when I feel doubt. She wraps
herself around the tendrils of my heart
when I need relief from my own chronic
pain.
Darlyne
is a little wildflower, young enough to
be my daughter, whom God put in my path
to remind me of His love, a precious
jewel who quietly ministers when no one
else can.
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