Recently I have
been watching the transition of my generations and the legacy being written, through the movement of ballerinas in my life.
I remember a small
pink leotard, some pink tights and pink ballet slippers. They were mine and I wore them some 50+ years
ago. My memory of actual ballet classes
are clouded by time. I didn’t get to
complete those classes and therefore didn’t experience the celebration of my
ballet recital.
When my daughter
Jenna showed interest, we enrolled her in ballet classes. Jenna enjoyed ballet and other dance for
several years and I enjoyed the preparation, excitement and celebration of her
at her dance recitals. There were the
fun costumes, the photos, the hair that had to be just so, the bouquets of
flowers and of course the pink ballet slippers.
Over the past few
years I have enjoyed attending the dance recitals of my granddaughters. The cycle of life is moving toward eternity right
before my eyes. What was then is now in
the next two generations beyond me. What
was begun in me and was a part of the life of my daughter continues in the lives
of my granddaughters.
The story of my
pink ballet slippers holds places for me to remember. What was begun in me didn’t get
finished. There is sadness in that story
and yet God brought meaning to the reason for the story with a photo of a
ballerina I found in my parents’ attic a few years ago. It’s an artist’s sketch of a young girl in
her ballet attire standing at the ballet bar and she is wearing her pink
slippers. The photo has a strong
likeness to the little girl I was at that time.
Hanging on that photo in my office is a tiny pair of pink ballet slippers. They are a constant reminder to me that I have
a choice to tromp through life wearing muddy combat boots or I can dance
through life wearing my pink ballet slippers.
My heart has danced
as I’ve watched the legacy of my pink ballet slippers come to life in the dance
of my granddaughters. Today I am dancing
through my life, wearing my ballet slippers.
I am remembering the hard stories of the past and allowing God to
re-frame those stories with new stories of hope for my future. And for the legacy God began in me and is
growing through the lives of my granddaughters and grandsons.
