Li-Mae, Li-Mae

You have to know with a name like Li-Mae, that soul has got to have some goodness.

I met Li-Mae at the first summer run practice of my junior year. She was a new freshman and a new runner and I felt it my personal duty to befriend her and show her the good of life. I had no idea she would fulfill that role more for me than I would ever hope to do for her!

Her list of accomplishments impressed me from that first moment, and I only discovered more as I went on.

Honors classes, multiple sports, quick wit, quirky sense of humor, submissive nature, willingness to try, valuable work ethic, fear to overcome challenges, confidence to be weird, friendly demeanor, precious shyness, eventual discovery of excellent leadership (the good kind that comes naturally just by being a good example), long black hair, rounded nose, big brown eyes, similar appearance to the girl Mowgli follows into the vilage, etc., etc.

Also

I used to braid Li-Mae's hair every meet. That was true bonding. She knows how to make a soul feel good--i knew the braids didn't really make her go any faster, but the way she talked them up, I almost felt like I had made a veritable contribution to her success. Some of the other heads I braided didn't even have a thankful cell within them, let alone such complimentary ones as were in Li-Mae's.

I was in a play with Li-Mae once. She and I shared a bonding moment of anticipatory stage fright opening night. She, of course, shined the entire time perfectly playing a role as a little grandma. She was born for the stage.

Li-Mae has a conviction of faith that few others have. I don't know if she belongs to any organized religion, but her life follows patterns very similar to the way Christ patterned his.

Some people have a hard time making friends because they haven't figured themselves out. But that is the best part of Li-Mae. She knows who she is and she wants to help other people feel as happy as she does about who they are--even if that person thinks they could do it for her.

I've never been so happy to be proven wrong!