Six of Staffs

Everyone began cheering before I understood why. A man stepped forward from the gathering, and suddenly all attention turned toward him. People called out to him as he approached, and I watched his expression change into a smile he seemed unable to hide. Someone beside me explained that he was being recognized for something he had accomplished.

A finely woven textile was brought forward and placed around him. I had seen beautiful textiles everywhere along the road, but this one was being given differently. People reached toward him as he passed. Someone clapped him on the shoulder. An older woman near me was crying and smiling at the same time, and I wondered whether she was his mother.

I found myself cheering too. There was something wonderful about watching a person stand for a moment inside the recognition of everyone around him. Whatever effort had brought him here belonged to him, and tonight the people who knew what it had required were making sure he knew they had seen it.

For a few minutes, he simply stood there smiling while everyone celebrated him. I hope I remember to do that for people I love.