I Hope You Dance!

Here's how one person responded with an act of kindness I just had to share. I hope you enjoy it ~ Love, Kat.

I wrote an earlier story about a friend who was put on hospice care. I would visit her on Tuesday nights and we would talk and have some "girl time". I would do her hair on those visits. I couldn't heal her but for a night she felt beautiful! We would talk and laugh. And after her hair was done on one of my last visits I put lipstick on her lips and some color on her cheeks. When I held up the mirror for her to see how she looked she smiled at me and told me she was going to go dancing. I told her to be home before her family got up in the morning!

How nice to be at the end of your life and have a sweet dream of getting out of your wheel chair to dance! When I went for my visit this week the dancing was over. She was weak and in bed. I stood by her and did her hair as I promised I would. Our "girl time"was different. It was Tuesday, she knew I was there. I struggled to keep myself together . I knew deep inside that this was going to be the last time I could make her feel beautiful.

I didn't hold up a mirror for her to smile at her self because when I finished her family was standing there. Their smile said it all,they knew it was the end. They were happy I made their Mom look like "Mom" again. I cried as I left because I knew that I would not see her on this earth again. She passed away today and as sad as I am I know she no longer is dreaming about dancing, she is dancing ...with all the stars in the sky

The Improbable Dance

In a Chinese modern dance competition on TV one very unique couple won one of the top prizes. The lady, in her 30's, was a dancer who had trained since she was a little girl. Later in life, she lost her entire left arm in an accident and fell into a state of depression for a few years.

Someone then asked her to coach a children's dancing group. From that point on, she realized that she could not forget dancing. She still loved to dance and wanted to dance again. So, she started to do some of her old routines, but, having lost her arm, she had also lost her balance.

It took a while before she could even make simple turns and spins without falling. Then she heard of a man in his 20s who had lost a leg in an accident. He had also fallen into the usual denial, depression and anger type of emotional roller coaster. But, she was determined to find him and persuade him to dance with her ... He had never danced, and to dance with one leg ... are you joking with me?? "No way!"

But, she didn't give up, and he reluctantly agreed thinking, "I have nothing else to do anyway." She started to teach him dancing. The two broke up a few times because he had no concept of using muscle, how to control his body, and knew none of the basic things about dancing. When she became frustrated and lost patience with him, he would walk out. Eventually, they came back together and started training seriously.

They hired a choreographer to design routines for them. She would fly high (held by him) with both arms (a sleeve for an arm) flying in the air. He could bend horizontally supported by one leg with her leaning on him, etc.

In the competition, as you will see, they dance beautifully and they legitimately won the competition.

When I watched this I didn't even realize that she was missing an arm because I was focusing on the guy with only one leg. Really quite amazing!