Dancing Lessons
Illustration
Stories
“Is everything alright?” Gran asked Lily. “That’s the second time you’ve checked your phone since you came to visit me.”
Lily felt her face grow warm. “Well, I was kind of hoping for a message from Brad.”
“Brad?” Gran raised an eyebrow, “I don’t think I’ve ever heard about him.”
“Well, he is in my class at school and he kind of said that he might message me today...”
“About?”
Lily looked out the window of her grandmother’s nursing home room. “Nothing important.”
“Last time I blushed that much it was because of a letter your grandfather had written me.” Gran tapped her chin. “Of course he was overseas at the time.”
“Gran!”
“Oh, grow up.” Gran laughed. “I was your age once and know exactly what makes a young girl blush.”
“It’s not like that,” Lily protested. “We’ve never even been out.”
“But you would like for him to message you though, wouldn’t you?”
“Yes, I guess I would.” Lily sighed and checked her phone again.
“For a date or something else?” Gran tilted her head. “You’re going to have to speak up dear, I can’t hear you when you mutter.”
“I was hoping he might ask me to the dance we’re having at school.” Lily frowned. “You won’t tell Mom, will you? She told me you don’t like dancing.”
“What? I love dancing. It’s just that since before you were born my legs don’t cooperate enough for me to go dancing.”
“Really?” Lily perked up. “So you don’t think that dancing is sinful and evil?”
“No. Well sometimes.” Gran thought for a moment. “I think it kind of depends on the intention.”
Lily furrowed her brow. “I don’t think I follow.”
“Do you remember the story of David bringing the Ark of the Covenant back to the people after he recovered it from the Philistines?” Gran asked. “The blank expression on your face says that you don’t. It’s not a really well-known story, but when they brought the Ark into the city, King David danced with all of his might before God.”
Lily’s eyes went wide. “He did?”
“He did. Since the Bible doesn’t say that God got upset at what he did I’ve always assumed that God has no particular problem with dancing.”
“Wait a minute. Didn’t you just say that dancing could be evil?”
“It certainly can be. In the gospels it says that Herod’s daughter danced for him and his guests and pleased them so much he wanted to give her a gift.”
“That doesn’t sound so bad.”
“So she asked for the head of John the Baptist on a platter.”
“Eww. That’s horrible. She really did that?”
“That’s how the story goes and the tradition on how John died. So you can see that like anything else dancing can be good and wonderful and dancing can be evil and destructive,” Gran said. “Now which do you think your school dance will be?”
“I promise I won’t ask for anyone’s head on a platter.”
“I certainly hope not.” Gran paused. “My mother, your great-grandmother, told me that I could go to a dance with your grandfather as long as I didn’t do anything I couldn’t tell her about later.”
“I think I understand. As long as we don’t do anything we’re ashamed of then it’s probably okay.”
“Probably. I find too that if your heart isn’t evil then you don’t tend to go that way.” Gran waved a hand. “Don’t be pressured into anything either but there is no reason you can’t go and have fun with this Brad of yours.”
“Gran, he isn’t mine.” Lily pursed her lips and looked at her phone again. “I don’t think he’s ever going to message me.”
“I wonder if he is sitting next to his grandmother saying the same thing.” Gran winked. “If you want to go with him and your mother has already said you can go, then just ask him.”
“Really?”
“Really.” Gran smiled. “That’s the way I ended up dating your grandfather because he was so shy he would never have asked.”
“Wow.” Lily picked up her phone and typed for a second. Her phone quickly chimed and she squealed as she looked at the message. “He said he wants to go with me!”
Gran reached out and squeezed her granddaughter’s hand. “Then you go and have a good time. Just make sure you come back and tell me how everything went.”
Lily gave her a hug and dashed out of the room. As Gran watched her go, she offered a prayer of thanks for all of her family and the joys of young people growing up in this day and age.
Lily felt her face grow warm. “Well, I was kind of hoping for a message from Brad.”
“Brad?” Gran raised an eyebrow, “I don’t think I’ve ever heard about him.”
“Well, he is in my class at school and he kind of said that he might message me today...”
“About?”
Lily looked out the window of her grandmother’s nursing home room. “Nothing important.”
“Last time I blushed that much it was because of a letter your grandfather had written me.” Gran tapped her chin. “Of course he was overseas at the time.”
“Gran!”
“Oh, grow up.” Gran laughed. “I was your age once and know exactly what makes a young girl blush.”
“It’s not like that,” Lily protested. “We’ve never even been out.”
“But you would like for him to message you though, wouldn’t you?”
“Yes, I guess I would.” Lily sighed and checked her phone again.
“For a date or something else?” Gran tilted her head. “You’re going to have to speak up dear, I can’t hear you when you mutter.”
“I was hoping he might ask me to the dance we’re having at school.” Lily frowned. “You won’t tell Mom, will you? She told me you don’t like dancing.”
“What? I love dancing. It’s just that since before you were born my legs don’t cooperate enough for me to go dancing.”
“Really?” Lily perked up. “So you don’t think that dancing is sinful and evil?”
“No. Well sometimes.” Gran thought for a moment. “I think it kind of depends on the intention.”
Lily furrowed her brow. “I don’t think I follow.”
“Do you remember the story of David bringing the Ark of the Covenant back to the people after he recovered it from the Philistines?” Gran asked. “The blank expression on your face says that you don’t. It’s not a really well-known story, but when they brought the Ark into the city, King David danced with all of his might before God.”
Lily’s eyes went wide. “He did?”
“He did. Since the Bible doesn’t say that God got upset at what he did I’ve always assumed that God has no particular problem with dancing.”
“Wait a minute. Didn’t you just say that dancing could be evil?”
“It certainly can be. In the gospels it says that Herod’s daughter danced for him and his guests and pleased them so much he wanted to give her a gift.”
“That doesn’t sound so bad.”
“So she asked for the head of John the Baptist on a platter.”
“Eww. That’s horrible. She really did that?”
“That’s how the story goes and the tradition on how John died. So you can see that like anything else dancing can be good and wonderful and dancing can be evil and destructive,” Gran said. “Now which do you think your school dance will be?”
“I promise I won’t ask for anyone’s head on a platter.”
“I certainly hope not.” Gran paused. “My mother, your great-grandmother, told me that I could go to a dance with your grandfather as long as I didn’t do anything I couldn’t tell her about later.”
“I think I understand. As long as we don’t do anything we’re ashamed of then it’s probably okay.”
“Probably. I find too that if your heart isn’t evil then you don’t tend to go that way.” Gran waved a hand. “Don’t be pressured into anything either but there is no reason you can’t go and have fun with this Brad of yours.”
“Gran, he isn’t mine.” Lily pursed her lips and looked at her phone again. “I don’t think he’s ever going to message me.”
“I wonder if he is sitting next to his grandmother saying the same thing.” Gran winked. “If you want to go with him and your mother has already said you can go, then just ask him.”
“Really?”
“Really.” Gran smiled. “That’s the way I ended up dating your grandfather because he was so shy he would never have asked.”
“Wow.” Lily picked up her phone and typed for a second. Her phone quickly chimed and she squealed as she looked at the message. “He said he wants to go with me!”
Gran reached out and squeezed her granddaughter’s hand. “Then you go and have a good time. Just make sure you come back and tell me how everything went.”
Lily gave her a hug and dashed out of the room. As Gran watched her go, she offered a prayer of thanks for all of her family and the joys of young people growing up in this day and age.
