I met Iveliz as she was heading home from work early one evening. She smiled and said hello to me and my daughters, a Party City bag on one arm. She occasionally stops there to pick up some balloons to keep on hand. It's just a fun hobby and a way to connect with others on the busy streets and subways of New York City, offering a kind word and a cute balloon animal to children with their parents. Iveliz told us that she is so blessed and she just wants to remind people that God loves them and give them a little smile at the end of what might be a difficult or frustrating day. There was something completely pure and unassuming about her as she talked to me and my children, quickly and casually fashioning simple creatures from colorful skinny balloons. Wanting absolutely nothing in return but a few moments of human connection, one can't not adore her almost immediately. I wondered how many times she's been turned away and yet continues to do this small, seemingly insignificant thing for children as an act of intentional kindness. Iveliz is clearly our kind of girl, just offering the world the simple gift of balloon art in order to bring sweetness and hope to those in her path. Thank you, Iveliz, for reminding us all how easy it is to love people with the gifts we already possess.
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