One sunny afternoon, I slipped into a public washroom at the park, dreading the grunge.
As I entered, I heard a child’s voice hooting. Of the two stalls, one closed door evidently concealed a mother and her young one, so I said, “Somebody sounds happy.”
The mother replied, “She’s trying to hear the echo.”
By this time I was seated in my own cubicle but offered,
“I could be an echo.”
It isn’t easy helping your small child use a public washroom but this cheerful Mom encouraged her daughter,
“Say something.”
A little voice called “Echo”.
I answered in the same pitch, “Echo”.
She said “Hiya.” I copied, “Hiya”.
She made nonsense sounds and I copied her tones.
Yes, I was sitting on a toilet all the while, smiling to myself.
As I walked to the sink for hand washing, I said, “The Echo is leaving now.”
The mom told her little girl, “Oh, she’s faster than we are”.
I called, “Bye-Bye” and went out the door, hearing,
“and we never even saw her.”
I want to play with every person I meet – ignoring any ugly unmentionables and echoing the mutual joy that God has placed inside our hearts.
