"Orange Alert"
And with all the talk about sun and stars and artists and inspiration, here are some thoughts I had after a trip to the airport today.
The frosty haze of the freezing air enhanced the orange hue of the sunrise as I drove to the airport to pick up my family. My sixteen year old daughter was coming back from a school service trip to Chicago, while my wife and other daughter were coming back from a trip to Kansas to visit family. A sign at the airport entrance warned in flashing yellow lights about an “Orange Alert.” Another sign taped to the entrance door explained that the “alert” meant security was high due to a threat of terrorism.
My oldest daughter’s flight arrived first and we greeted each other with a hug. We went for breakfast while waiting for the other travelers. She glowed with enthusiasm while she talked about getting to know the kids in an inner city school who faced many difficulties because of where they lived and the struggling families they happened to be born into. She came back with a desire to do more of this work as she planned her future.
We returned to the airport to wait and a little girl with her parents sat in the chairs behind us. The girl introduced herself to me by sticking out her tongue and then grinning when she noticed me looking. I restrained myself from returning her greeting, worrying what someone might think if they saw me sticking my tongue out at a little girl. Her mother warned me about her daughters “flirting” and the girl informed me that her name was Jennifer and she was almost three. She had two older brothers, some dinosaurs and a doll waiting for her at home. Eventually she walked away with her parents.
A grin crossed my face as I watched her enthusiastically skip through the expanse of the airport; simply enjoying life. I looked over at my daughter and asked her when she had lost that three year old enthusiasm; she reminded me that she had not lost it, but I had. Perhaps if more adults could become like children we could live in a world where the only “orange alert” would be a reminder to enjoy the colors of the sunrise.
The frosty haze of the freezing air enhanced the orange hue of the sunrise as I drove to the airport to pick up my family. My sixteen year old daughter was coming back from a school service trip to Chicago, while my wife and other daughter were coming back from a trip to Kansas to visit family. A sign at the airport entrance warned in flashing yellow lights about an “Orange Alert.” Another sign taped to the entrance door explained that the “alert” meant security was high due to a threat of terrorism.
My oldest daughter’s flight arrived first and we greeted each other with a hug. We went for breakfast while waiting for the other travelers. She glowed with enthusiasm while she talked about getting to know the kids in an inner city school who faced many difficulties because of where they lived and the struggling families they happened to be born into. She came back with a desire to do more of this work as she planned her future.
We returned to the airport to wait and a little girl with her parents sat in the chairs behind us. The girl introduced herself to me by sticking out her tongue and then grinning when she noticed me looking. I restrained myself from returning her greeting, worrying what someone might think if they saw me sticking my tongue out at a little girl. Her mother warned me about her daughters “flirting” and the girl informed me that her name was Jennifer and she was almost three. She had two older brothers, some dinosaurs and a doll waiting for her at home. Eventually she walked away with her parents.
A grin crossed my face as I watched her enthusiastically skip through the expanse of the airport; simply enjoying life. I looked over at my daughter and asked her when she had lost that three year old enthusiasm; she reminded me that she had not lost it, but I had. Perhaps if more adults could become like children we could live in a world where the only “orange alert” would be a reminder to enjoy the colors of the sunrise.
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