When Nicki Smiles

Here's the bit about Nicki I wrote for the ROCKO fundraiser. I'm debating the ethics of including pictures. She's such a beautiful kid, but not sure I should post pix for a kid that's not mine. Note: Mom gave me permission to post photos. Anyway, here's the piece....

When Nicki Smiles

When Nicki smiles the whole world seems brighter
Her laughter lights up the day with sparkles of joy
Her delight in simple things like swinging or spinning fast make all the world’s worries simply disappear
Her bright blue eyes shining with joy don’t see color or gender or wealth or status, only friends
Her hugs convey such innocent trust that the whole world loves her
Her whole world does love her

When Nicki smiles time seems to pause for just a moment and take a deep breath of admiration that this little spirit has chosen to grace us with her presence
At her slightest giggle, smiles cross faces
A full out laugh can make even the worst day seem not so bad
The most entertaining thing in the universe becomes knocking a can of marbles off a table to make a thundering crash
The sight of that golden head tossed back in a moment of glee is worth all the treasure in the world
She is the treasure

When Nicki smiles you forget about the hands and legs that don’t work quite right
When she laughs, you don’t notice that she never says a word
Looking into that bright face, it is impossible to think of all the things that Nicki will never do
You are lost in that moment of joy, of delight, of glee, of love
And it is enough
When Nicki smiles the world is a better place and we go away determined to make it a better place for her
So everyone can experience Nicki’s smiles