The Hexagonal Yellow Ball....

Today God smiled on Northern Virginia. The air was warm and breezy, the sky was a beautiful blue, the trees were in blossom and Dumfries sparkled. It was the perfect spring day beckoning everyone to take a walk outside. So instead of heading to the gym after work, I headed home, put on my sneakers and stepped out of my door to try and soak up some of the glory. Perhaps if I was lucky, I would walk away some if the stresses from the day as well.

Apparently I wasn't the only person with the same idea. As I made my way through the neighborhood, there were people in their yards working, couples out with their dogs for their evening strolls, children playing in their yards while their parents sat nearby on their porches keeping watch over them. The sounds of spring were in the air, and I found myself buoyed through my walk by the activity around me. 

I passed by one yard where a group of children at play caught my attention. There were three of them playing with a large inflatable hexagonally shaped yellow ball that had a cubby inside it of it large enough for one of the children to fit inside. Two of the children were rolling the ball across the lawn while the third child inside was squealing with both delight and concern as the ball shifted haphazardly across the lawn. It occurred to me as I watched them play that their game was mimicking my day, only I was the little girl in the ball and the events of the day were the children shifting me across the uneven terrain. Some of the shifts brought squeals of delight while others wrought moments of concern, but just like the child tucked safely inside the inflatable cocoon, I was securely insulated by my faith. 

So as I continued on my walk, I felt the stresses of the past few day seep slowly away. I was surrounded by my own hexagonal bubble of friends, family and God, and I knew whatever bumps might suddenly appear, I had a buffer in place to help with the impact.