How a little child can change the mundaneness of life.

What is it about a child that makes my life seem so enriched? Just being around children lifts my spirit even in the saddest of moments. Being around Kimberly Jane Mitchell is something of an anomaly I cannot explain. She is the daughter of my good friend Debi Mitchell. Born to Debi and Gary almost 7 years ago. Debi and I have been friends for 32 years. We met in my Grade 11 year at school. She was a drama student, and I was a ballet student at The Johannesburg School of the Arts in 1983. I had just suffered from a debilitating bout of Hepatitis A and as a result I was instructed by my doctor to give ballet a rest my body would not be able to cope with the physical demands of ballet. The excessive heat as he explained created by the demanding physicalness of ballet would be too much for my liver to cope with. Seriously back then I was young and naive, it actually today sounds like a stupid explanation. Be that as it may, I was forced as a 16 year old girl whose dream it was to dance with The Royal Ballet School in London to abandon that dream and in the middle of my Grade 11 year to switch from being a ballet student to being a drama student. It was dramatic! I was a disciplined hard working ballet student used to training between 6 and 7 hours a day, and I moved to a world where it seemed to me these students just got by, by acting(literally). Deb always used to laugh and tell me to relax whenever I wanted to practice and work on our little drama productions. Truth be told my drama classmates were there because they were naturally talented at drama as I had been at ballet, acting came easily to them that is why they were at Art school they had been selected to be there for their craft as I had been selected to be there for ballet. When it came to drama I was totally out of my comfort zone. Matric was a difficult year for me, I had to pick up 3 new subjects but I survived even managed a university pass, but was forever grateful to leave the world of drama behind me. The pain of my illness and all that it brought for me was counteracted by the blossoming of beautiful friendships which I established in that final year and a half at school. We were 6 of the best, Debi Munro, Cathy Bellamy,Nicky Warren, Tracey Isaacson,Charlotte Woodhead, and Leigh Ann Pearce(although she was not at school with us she was a wanna be Art school student). The friendships we forged in those years have stood the test of time. I have previously blogged about death and friendship, Debi and I standing in the bathroom at her son Darren's memorial just looked at one another we had no words, we both could not believe that we would be having to be together at this tragic moment in life. It seemed unreal. Today I am blogging about Kimberley. This little girl and I seem to have a connection. She is like a little piece of heaven on earth. Challenged by the physicalness of Downs syndrome does not seem to be a problem for this robust little girl. Debi and Gary have raised her as if she had no disability, and it shows. She is bright as a button. Her only constraints is that she is tiny for her age. Sometimes she has no filters, and it is hilarious to watch. Actually I think most of us would love to live life with no filters, I wish I could do stuff Kimmy does and not care what other people think. These pics were taken the time I spent in Messina with Debi before Darren's memorial service. Kimmy was fun to be with she made the pain of Darren's passing more bearable. Her light love and laughter made it easier to deal with the senseless passing of my friend's son. God in all His wisdom knew that this family would need this lovely little girl. I guess I know now why I love that song " I am growing up to be a child" I have often said that about my life that I am growing up to be a child. Children teach us so many things and I guess that is why I love being with this kid her complete trust for life is refreshing and it restores my soul. I am so grateful that I have the opportunity to be Kimmy's friend, that she considers me a friend in her little world!