What do you cherish most in this world? God, kids, family, friends....or maybe it’s a special memento from a loved one. Maybe a letter written in scribbled handwriting or crumpled with worn edges. Maybe it’s a blanket or clothing item. Most of us having something that we hold dear. But what if the thing we cherish most isn’t tangible. What if it doesn’t fit in a box that can be neatly presented in beautiful wrapping. Or maybe, the things we cherish most, the most beautiful things we own, are kept in a tattered box under the bed. If a stranger were to see them they would seem like ordinary items, but when we look at them, we see so much more.
In The Littlest Angel Ballet, based on the childrens book by Charles Tazewell, we meet a sweet angel who finds herself in heaven. She arrives a little tattered, carrying a box that she isn’t ready to let go of. She doesn’t quite fit in wirh the other angels, she seems to always have her mind elsewhere. She tends to make mischief because her youthfulness isn’t always tolerated by the older angels. Her heart is pure and with the help of some special friends, she makes peace with the angels as a messenger brings the news of the birth of Baby Jesus. As the other angels celebrate and prepare their gifts; we find a distraught little angel who has nothing to give except the box she arrived to heaven with. What she doesn’t realize is that the gifts inside mean more than any store bought treasure. For they are gifts of mankind. A bluebird to remind us to find joy each day. A butterfly to remind us to offer grace and kindness to all we meet, and a swan who represents the hope and belief that all things are possible. She offers these gifts humbly, as a child would, and hers is accepted as the most precious gift of all.
What gifts would you offer? What gifts do you cherish most? What gifts would you readily sacrifice?