Dancing on your Day

She phoned on a miserably cold December morning and said she had seen the ad in the paper. I told her to bring a resume by and she did, that afternoon.

Lois and I had been praying for a couple of months that the right person would come to the tea house to fill her soon-to-be vacant spot and that I would know who he or she was.

Two minutes after Krista walked in, I knew.

She brings with her a passion for cooking and baking, enviable organisational skills, immense efficiency, an upbeat attitude, a creative imagination that can produce platters of delicacies from everyday ingredients already in the kitchen, and a natural leadership of the staff.

She also brings a love for people, a refreshing pragmatism, and a depth of character so profound that I am only just beginning to uncover its richness and beauty.

She is a wife and mother.
She is a daughter and sister.
She is a grand daughter.
She is a chef.
She is a writer.
She is a singer.
She is a fellow disciple.
She is a friend.

But - above all - she is a dancer. I have never actually seen her dance yet; but she mentioned to me that of all her passions, dancing is the one at the top of her list. And I can sense it embodied in her as she treads lightly through her life: as she leads the worship arts teams at church; as she navigates the waters of two tiny children, with all the challenges around loving and caring for them; as she pays off school loans and supports her husband in his dreams; as she negotiates her family relationships; as she takes a lead in music and drama in Three Hills; as she seeks to deepen her walk with God; as she crafts her life story from some of the most daunting backstory imaginable ... she has a joy in her step and a dancer's discipline in her posture, a fierce intelligence and an indefatigable courage, startling and brilliant in its intensity.

Oh - and she's also drop-dead beautiful.

That day, at the end of our "interview", if one could call it that, I said to her, "I think you may be the answer to my prayers."

Now I know she is.

Happy Birthday, Krista!