This fall we took a trip to the United States and had to go through customs before boarding our plane.
The gentleman who asked to see our passports was extremely serious and business like.
I watched him as he scanned our documents. He asked us detailed questions as to where we were going and why.
He spoke directly to me and my husband and with a glance dismissed our little one.
He handed me back our documents and bruskly told us to have a nice trip.
And then as I started to walk away I heard a voice,
“She has the bright eyes of someone who has not yet been disappointed.”
My head snapped back quickly because I hadn’t noticed anyone standing behind me in the line- the voice that spoke to me was not the one that had been quizzing us about our trip.
But it was indeed that same gentleman, although in an instant he looked different as well.
His eyes had taken on a wistful sadness and he had a soft smile on his aged face.
The remark took me by such surprise, and as I had clearly been dismissed already, I just smiled and hurried off to wait for our flight.
But his voice lingered with me and I kept hearing his words in my head.
“She has the bright eyes of someone who has not yet been disappointed.”
As we sat in the waiting area, I watched her as she waited excitedly for the air plane that was going to take her to Disney World.
And I was so thankful that that we have been so fortunate, that we have been able to keep those little eyes so bright-
Yet undimmed by the disappointments that she will inevitable face in this world.
And I was a bit sad in being reminded that not everyone is so lucky.
-Photograph:
Schools were cancelled today as we had a snowstorm last night. The ground is once again covered in white and this afternoon we took a walk in the new winter wonderland.
