Their Superpower Is Flying

 Attending a volleyball match the other evening, I was in an excellent position to capture a few photos of our granddaughter, Norah, on the court throughout the sets. After arriving home and taking some time to sort through the photos which, earlier, I had only seen through the cell phone lens, I realized that many of the images captured Norah soaring through the air, flying in such a manner as to meet the volleyball and command its return to the hinterlands on the other side of the net. Looking through the photos time and time again, it occurred to me . . . 

Superman has children - and the oldest of them is named Norah.

Oh, I have observed this mild mannered young lady since first she was born and, to be perfectly candid, I didn't realize how obvious her superpowers are. So on this day, it was as though she arrived at the gym as a normal young lady, hanging with her teammates, making jokes, assessing the other team, warming up, getting ready. Yet, somewhere in the midst of the preparations there was a change, as though she had slipped into a telephone booth - if such things even exist anymore - and went from ordinary volleyball player to one who flies with the strength and determination of a namesake about which a child of her age barely even knows - then leapt up to take on the challenges before her. Such is the awe of a Papa who sees his granddaughter extend herself beyond the boundaries of earthly gravity and stave off the best efforts of the those who take on she and the teams of which she is a part. 

Superman has children - and the oldest of them is named Norah.

And, the best part of this superhero is that she has already embraced the concept of working in concert with all of her teammates around her. To watch her at her best in respecting the superhero in others is to see the aurora borealis rising into the darkened night sky. To hear her urge them to flight, to strengthen their resolve to overcome, and to stand strong even when the battle seems at its darkest is to listen to Bach's concerto's played for the very first time, lifted in music by the hands of the composer. Her laughter lightens the load, her look of concern gives confidence to the struggling, and her shared hugs with teammates lift up the weary and gives courage to the uncertain. 

Superman has children - and the oldest of them is named Norah.

Oh, she is flesh and blood, her heart is forever open to the journey of those around her, even as it is resilient in times of trouble. She cherishes her family and her place in her extended family as powerfully and surely as the sun rises and sets each day. She is quick to kneel down before the One who made her and offers her daily life as a gift pleasing to the Christ in whose Name she is known. She does not take her gifts and talents for granted, but commits them to the holy work of glorifying the Spirit through Whom she gains her strength. And, when wrong, she acknowledges her part and asks forgiveness, granting forgiveness, too, when hers is the path of the right.

Like her father, whose keychain fob opened for us the door of understanding his place in our lives and in our world, and like her mother, whose fabled sets and kills on the volleyball court - and in the world of business beyond her formal schooling - set a standard by which others still measure themselves, this young lady is making her way, earning her place on the roster, and underscoring the notion that the power of one is only fully realized in the work of every-one together. It takes a team to achieve our greatest potential.

This super-girl is learning that - and as she does, I have no doubt that she will continue to ascend to even greater heights, as so she teaches her younger brother and sister to do, as well.

Superman has children, and the one named Norah is teaching her younger siblings, Holden and Liza, to fly into their futures with joy, even as her older cousins, Mary and Ava, have taught her to fly. 

Someday she will know that her greatest victories are found in the lives of others she cherishes, in the hearts of those who call her friend and in the spirit of friends who count her as one of their own. It will be an awesome sight to behold as her flight carries her ever higher, but for now, I will be content to see her rise above the net and make each game a lesson from which she learns and grows. Even Superman could ask no more.

Fly high, Norah-girl, never allow the limits of the sky to hold you down. Remember, there are footprints on the moon, our cue to rise into all God would have us to become. Blessings on your journey, dear one.

Metropolis is here learning to fly with you - and as are your cousins before you and your siblings who are after you, you are forever loved.