The Mirror

The bright afternoon sun glinted off of the tiny mirror into her pale blues eyes. Her eyes began to water and she gingerly wiped away her tears. She closely examined her face, the wrinkles, the chipped tooth that made her refuse to smile, the gray, thinning hair, the nose that was too big for her face, all of what she percieved to be flaws, mistakes in God's creation. She stumbled as she walked and gripped a little tighter her little companion, her beloved mirror. She never went anywhere without it. While she cleaned house or talked with friends or shopped or walked in her neighborhood, her trusty little mirror was in front of her face reflecting her image and often her moods for her to see and examine. She could look into her eyes in relive the pain of her past, she could focus on all of her flawed features or on good days remember how nice and kind she is and the beauty that she really does possess. She could make sure that everyone perceived her they way she wanted as she talked to them. Her little mirror kept her enraptured in it while she went about her daily business.
As she walked on this sunny afternoon, peering deep into her watery, blue eyes, she thought how awful her life has been, how everyone mistreats her. She paid no attention when she walked around the little girl crying on the walk, but she couldn't miss the little, pink bike with flowers and streamers on the handlebars. She stumbled over the bike tire laying across the sidewalk. She tried putting her hand out to grab ahold of anything to catch her fall. She landed in a crumpled heap on the sidewalk. She checked herself to make sure nothing was hurt or even broken. Then she saw it. Her beloved mirror, it lay shattered on the ground. It was in a million different pieces, there was no way to salvage it. She was heartbroken. What would she do? How would she make it through her days without it to focus on. As she sat crying and wondering what she would do, she felt a tiny arm go around her shoulder. The little girl sat, with her tears dried, next to the little lady comforting her, giving her reassurance that it would be o.k. The little girl helped her up and brushed off the dried leaves and dirt that clung to her skirt. The little girl steadied the little lady and helped her on her way home. The little lady was lost without her mirror. She didn't know what to do with herself. She thought she must look an awful mess, but the child didn't seem to mind. She chatted cheerfully that her bike would be o.k. and hopefully her mother would find the time to put a bandage on her knee. The little old lady looked at the child and then she noticed the blood flow freely down her leg, staining her frilly white socks and white tennis shoes. The little lady was horrified. This child has been comforting her without any thought to the pain her own tiny body was in. The little lady was appalled at her own self-absorption. How could she miss this little girl's injury? She reached down and gathered the tiny child in her arms and hugged her with all of her might. She then led her home to make sure that her bloody knee would get the loving, gentle attention it so desperately needed.