Naiomi

I have, over my four years here, come to really appreciate the Edmonton Transit System. Now, don't get me wrong, I don't really enjoy taking the bus here and there, especially between the hours of 6am and 12pm when I am starting or finishing shifts at the hospital. But, I have come to discover that when you travel one route frequently enough, you start to notice the "regulars." There is this mother and daughter duo who sit in the same secion, wearing the same winter coats, on the 7:25am bus that passes right infront of the hospital I am currently working at. The daughter, day after day, falls asleep on the mothers shoulder on this long bus ride to school. This particular bus also seems to be the transporter of multiple Sudaneese individuals (who I am always rather fond of observing)--since it passes directly by the Sudaneese Community Center down town (on 107th Ave to be exact). But, my main story is actually about a little girl that I have spent 2 mornings with this week...her name is Naiomi. Naiomi and I met while waiting in the Loby of a business building-both of us trying to escape the cold while waiting for our next bus. Naiomi is just the sweetest little thing that I have met in a while. She travels the bus, everyday to school, with her Grandma and her very new little sister Page (still in the stroller). Naiomi goes to school and I have no clue where Grandma is headed. Naiomi is 8 years old, and I met her on Valentines Day. She was facinated with my shoes (Crocks...uguly as sin, but comfey as all get out!) that I wear to work. She started telling me about the Valentines cards she had made for her class mates then asked me how old I was. When I told her 23, she cried out that she should have been able to guess that because that is exactly how old her mother is!! Well, I just wanted to hug this little thing...8 years old...her mother had her when she was just 15. Naiomi also told me that her mother had wanted to go into nursing but couldn't be in school that long cause she had 3 children. I was struck with the tought of how similar I could be to this little girl's mother. Same interests, same age....vastly different life. Suddenly Naiomi asks me, "Can you help me with my spelling?"...oh, for the love, how could you resist a little thing like that? But, we'd already been waiting for 20 minutes, and I knew that our busses would be just around the corner...so I said no. Sure wish now that I hadn't. Not that we would have had time to get anything done, but I had the chance to show this beautiful little princess of a girl that a complete stranger could love her...and the bus came. The good thing was that the very next day, I got off my #9 bus to wait for the #7 and there was Naomi's Grandma...and there was Naomi waiting in the same Loby. I walked in and said "hi Naiomi!!"-she was ovbiously pleased that I had remembered her name, but unfortunately, she had no spelling to do that day.
I guess I don't quite know why I feel compelled to share about her with you...other than that, to me, this little girl revealved to me a bit more of Jesus. Perhaps about his draw to children, or about how we are to become like children to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven...trusting, vulnerable... Or maybe I just feel like I missed out on an eternal moment by passing up the opportunity to be Jesus back to her, I don't know. But, I do know, that many times, when you least expect it--like at the end of a very long 12 hour night shift--God shows up. So don't miss it. He is, however, the God of tremendous Grace...and so I am looking forward to the future bus rides home.