Little Miss Sunshine

I’m already smiling and all I’ve done is write the title.

So, I just got back from camp (like, two weeks ago) and I’ve started three posts upon my return.  This one, however, is different.  This is a tiny part of the story of how my life was changed by 160 people.  This is (hopefully) going to become a mini series on here about different people at camp who taught me different things.

So this is about Little Miss Sunshine.  I met Maria at camp last summer.  She was in my cabin my very first year at camp and I was lucky enough to have her in my cabin again this year.  Maria is unlike anyone I’ve ever met.  Any time you look at her, she’s smiling.  I’m not kidding and I’m not exaggerating.  You can look over during our rest period and there’s Maria, smiling and rocking.  She always looks like someone has just made her day.  A lot of the time, that’s not untrue.  It’s not uncommon to hear her say “You mermaid my day!!”  Maria has joy and happiness that is nothing short of contagious.  It’s impossible to hang out with Maria and not be overcome with joy.  She cares deeply about those around her, is fearless beyond measure, and straight up incredible.  She can memorize and recite books, gives amazing speeches, and loves to spread the sunshine.  Sunshine is a huge part of Maria’s life.  She’s little miss sunshine to everyone around her and was the sunshine of Cabin 5 even when we had to walk through the downpour.  Maria’s sunshine cannot be extinguished even when drenched.  She truly is remarkable.

Now, that said, Maria has taught me many things.  Sometimes, her lessons were taught by example.  Other times, we would be talking and I would get worked up about something and she would just say “Now Rebecca, you need to stop worrying.  It’s all going to be just fine.”  In these cases I would usually attempt to come up with some lame “but what if” until I ended up laughing and telling her she was right.  I worry too much.

Maria is so sweet and patient.  She can tolerate anyone for any length of time.  Some people can be difficult to put up with but Maria can gracefully endure anyone and everyone.  She makes it look like it’s not a problem whatsoever.  She’ll smile through the whole encounter and respond knowledgeably because she didn’t just “endure” it, she made sure she was paying attention and making sure that person felt special.  To give someone your undivided attention is always special, but it’s increasingly more so when you would rather place your attention elsewhere.  I want to be that patient one day.

Never have I ever seen someone who was as positive as Maria.  She could magically cheer up anyone.  If one of the other campers was having a bad day, Maria would do her best to cheer them up.  If something went wrong (but not horridly so), she might make a joke about the situation to make everyone laugh and realize it wasn’t a big deal.

Maria lives like today is the day to get out there and tackle the world.  But she lives like this everyday.  She’s always ready to face whatever might come.  She’ll beat it with a smile and some sunshine.  Maria is truly a glowing light in this world and I’m so glad I met her.  She’s a phenomenal example of how we should live.

1 Peter 3:8-9

Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble.  Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult.  On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.