Larrrrrra in Seat 10E

Boarding the plane in Amsterdam I waited anxiously wondering who would have the two seats next to me.  For a long time they remained empty, could it be, I thought, two empty seats? Then a small girl, with black curls a fucia bow holding them in place and dragging her Lady bug carry-on came down the isle, followed by her dad.

All in one motion she looked at me, I got up to let her in she held up her KLM passport cover and coloring book and said, "Would you open these for me,please?"  So began our relationship of 4 and 1/2 hours.  She asked my name, I told her. I asked hers and she answered, Larrrrrra! Laura was her name but with all her beautiful "r's" it sounded Iike Lara. We talked, colored, had a guessing game, all while her dad slept. Later when Laura slept I talked with her father.  They were returning to Jerusalem to visited Laura's grandparents. In 2008 her family migrated to South Africa due to the conflicts in Palestine. 

This joyful, feisty, engaging child would have a label while in Israel. Looking at her as she slept, head on me, feet on her dad. I pondered our world's reality of labeling.  Jesus' words "You must become like little children." kept wandering through my head and heart. Laura did not know about labeling yet, maybe that is why we are to be like little children.