Dancing Angel
written by: Debra Elramey
“Oh very young what will you leave us this time
You’re only dancing on this earth for a short while”
– Cat Stevens
Sunlight pours in through these windows, pure
and stainless as the souls of saints. Fourteen
Stations of the Cross line white walls. Our Lady
of Humility looms forever holy over vigil candles.
At Friday morning mass frankincense fills the room,
invades my nostrils like a rich perfume. I sit in this
sanctuary with a handful of moms and dads, awaiting
the arrival of our grade school “Angels” uniformed
in plaid. Breaking our prayerful silence like a sudden
storm, comes the tap-tap-tapping of a toddler’s feet
on the floor of stone. Bowed heads lift and turn
instinctively to see a frustrated mother struggling
uselessly to contain her daughter’s energy. An
epiphany hits as I watch this child carted away in
Mom’s firm arms, while restless legs still kick to
a rhythm in her heart that only she can hear.
Now it’s clear what I must do, and soon – as clear
as if etched on tablets of stone. With no regrets I
collect my own child and take her home lest she
forget how to laugh and dance or skip across a room.
- Dancing Angel - October 2, 2026
- The Still Point - July 24, 2026
- Music in the Night - April 27, 2026
