Spirit Full of Light

I’m sitting here in a Chick-fil-A on the south side of Houston because I needed to access some free WiFi, and believe it or not, they have it. I’m the only one in here with a laptop, and it’s not the typical coffee shop kind of setting at all, so I’m not sure why Chick-fil-A has WiFi, but I’m glad they do. Denise and Amanda are resting for a bit, before our next appointment, which is the “simulation” in preparation for radiation on the spot in the area of the lower spine.

As I’m looking at all the people around me just making it through their day, and mostly thinking about Amanda and how very special she is, in so many ways, it suddenly occurred to me why she “shines” so much. Those who know Amanda well, know that she just “shines.” In fact, when we met the gentleman with the keys to the Ministry Apartment this morning, the first thing he told me was that when we called, he immediately remembered Amanda’s smile. She “shines.”

What occurred to me is that Amanda shines because her spirit is full of light. Some of us, like me, smile when we’re supposed to, or when it’s socially proper, or when we hear something funny, or when we are greeting someone, or want to make a good impression, or any number of other reasons. But Amanda’s smiles come from somewhere else. Her smiles go much deeper than that. They come from a source more sincere, a place deeper within, and framed with a grace and kindness and humility that I believe is connected to God. Amanda’s smiles are a natural out-flowing and expression of a spirit that is full of light. In fact, she can’t even fake it. I can fake it, and you probably can too. In fact, most of us do on at least a semi-regular basis. But Amanda’s smile is as natural as the morning sun, and would be about as difficult to hide.

The man’s story this morning, of remembering Amanda’s smile from a year ago, is actually a common one for her. We hear that kind of thing often about Amanda. Think about it … the man probably only saw Amanda a few times, maybe two or three, if that … and it was a year ago … and he sees hundreds of people go through those ministry apartments, and in all the other areas of his life as well. And yet, with just a phone call as a reminder, the first thing that crossed his mind was the smile of Amanda. For the record, Denise and I smiled at him too. :-) As I’m sure everyone else does as well.

But the one he remembered, was the one of the face of a girl whose spirit is full of light.

There is a difference.