Cake in the Park

We took her out for lunch on her 15th birthday.

She asked for chicken and we stuck a candle in it and started singing Happy Birthday and she got a huge grin on her face. She blew out her candle and a few minutes later the owner of the restaurant had the happy birthday song blaring on the radio.

Love looks like noticing a street kids birthday celebration and joining in.

As she ate her lunch I realized she would always look back on her 15th birthday and remember not having the traditional quinciñera party. So we decided to throw her a last minute party.

We found a cake and a banner and invited 10 other little kids to a park. All the kids lined up and gave the birthday girl hugs and words of encouragement. We sang, she blew out her candles and we shared cake. One of the boys ended up praying for her. It was simple, unplanned but the smiles on their faces meant the world.

Sometimes we want to see big lasting change.

And sometimes cake in the park is all we can do on a gray afternoon...

but it’s enough.