The Ripple Effect of Joy
"Girl… have you seen what you can do?"
If you've spent any time around Kimmy and me, you've probably heard me say those words more than once.
I've been telling her for quite a while now,
"You are such an amazing artist. I just have to help you get out of your own way."
Kimmy has been working beside me learning face painting, henna, and hair tinsel. Every weekend I get to watch her grow a little more.
The children already believed in her.
The parents believed in her.
I believed in her.
The only person who still needed a little convincing… was Kimmy.
Whenever someone asked for henna, she'd hesitate.
"I don't know if it's worth charging for…"
I'd smile because I knew what was coming.
This weekend, something shifted.
She welcomed people into her chair.
She created beautiful henna designs.
She accepted payment for her work.
And with every customer, I watched her confidence grow.
My heart wasn't bursting because she made money.
It was bursting because I watched her begin to believe what I'd been telling her all along.
Sometimes the people who love us see something in us long before we're able to see it ourselves.
What a gift it is when we finally begin to believe them.
One of my favorite moments of the weekend came from a sweet family who wandered over to browse my sparkle collection.
Ruby and her dad took their time looking at all the different colors, carefully deciding which ones belonged in her very own little sparkle set. They chatted back and forth about their favorites, compared combinations, and smiled as they built the perfect little collection together.
I loved every second of watching them.
It wasn't really about choosing glitter.
It was about watching a dad fully present with his daughter.
After they picked their colors, he lovingly applied the sparkles to Ruby's cheeks while she smiled right back at him.
I don't know if parents always realize it, but children remember moments like that.
I know I do.
The next day, they came back.
This time Ruby wanted a face paint inspired by her Bernese Mountain Dog and Poodle mix.
I'll admit… requests like that always make me a little nervous.
When someone asks me to paint their beloved pet, I immediately start thinking, "Please let this actually look like their dog!"
Thankfully, Ruby loved it.
Her dad loved it.
And once again, my favorite part wasn't the finished face paint.
It was watching the two of them enjoying the experience together.
Later that afternoon, Ruby came back one more time.
She smiled and said,
"My mom gave me seven dollars to spend on anything I wanted in the whole building."
I figured she was about to pick out something for herself.
Instead she said,
"I want to buy sparkles for my friend."
My heart melted.
Out of everything she could have chosen, she wanted to share a little joy with someone else.
Children have such a beautiful way of reminding us what generosity looks like.
Sometimes it's not about the size of the gift.
Sometimes it's simply about thinking of someone else before yourself.
Another moment that stayed with me began with a woman who sat down for her very first henna.
She started by asking for something small.
Then she smiled and said,
"Maybe just a little bigger."
Then she added flowers.
Then vines.
Before either of us realized it, that tiny little design had transformed into a beautiful floral sleeve winding its way across her arm.
When she stood up, she couldn't stop looking at it.
Seeing someone genuinely delighted with something you've created never gets old.
Almost immediately afterward, one of her friends practically bounced into my chair.
With the excitement of a middle schooler, she grinned and said,
"Give me glitter!"
Of course I did.
She loved it so much that she bought a little sparkle container to take home.
Then she started sharing it with everyone around her.
Friends.
Family.
Anyone who was willing to stand still long enough.
She even tried convincing members of the middle school and high school basketball teams they were there supporting to wear pink sparkles.
Most of them laughed and politely declined.
She laughed too.
Then she simply found someone else willing to sparkle.
That made me smile.
She wasn't trying to sell glitter.
She wasn't trying to convince people.
She had experienced joy…
…and she wanted other people to experience it too.
The following day, I was helping another customer when I heard a familiar voice behind me.
She was proudly holding out her friend's henna-covered arm to everyone walking past.
"Look what my girl did!"
Yesterday we had been strangers.
Today she was introducing me like I'd been her friend for years.
What she probably didn't even realize was that she was also helping people in line see how beautiful the henna stain looked the next day.
Without even trying, she was encouraging me.
I walked away from that interaction thinking the same thing I think so often after these weekends.
Sometimes the very best part of my job isn't creating art.
It's making new friends.
Friday brought another beautiful little reminder.
I was face painting at a first birthday party when one little girl became fascinated with the henna.
She asked questions.
She watched carefully.
She wanted to know how it all worked.
As I packed up at the end of the party, I noticed I still had henna left in one of my cones.
Normally it would have gone to waste.
Instead, I handed it to her.
"Go practice," I told her.
"Try it on your friends… and your aunts."
Her eyes lit up.
Maybe she'll doodle with it once and forget about it.
Or maybe…
Just maybe…
That little leftover henna cone becomes the beginning of something much bigger.
Sometimes believing in someone starts with giving them permission to begin.
One of the things I love about working basketball tournaments is that families spend the whole weekend together.
Between games, they wander. They talk. They explore.
Almost every weekend, someone seems to adopt my booth as their little happy place.
This weekend, that person was T.
She wandered back over again and again.
Sometimes to chat. Sometimes just to see what was happening. And sometimes because she had another fun idea.
She didn't just get one henna, she came back for two! First, she was excited to have me create a beautiful custom design, complete with all the sparkle (because sparkle is always the right answer!). Then she decided she wanted to match her son by getting the same basketball heartbeat design I'd just created for him. She put her own spin on it by including both of her sons' jersey numbers... because you definitely don't want either one feeling left out!
She was also so excited for me to paint her grandson as a Ninja Turtle. Judging by his super chill personality, I have a feeling I may have caught him right in the middle of nap time, but he was the sweetest little guy and took it all in stride.
By the end of the weekend, it didn't feel like I was saying goodbye to a customer.
It felt like I was saying goodbye to a friend.
People often ask me how I can spend so many hours face painting.
The truth is...
I'm not just painting faces.
I'm creating memories, sharing laughs, celebrating families, and building relationships.
That's always been my favorite part.
This week has also been a heavy one for our community.
Like many of you, I've been carrying the weight of recent tragedies close to home.
Moments like these remind me how desperately we need one another.
They also remind me why I keep paying attention to little moments like these.
Not because they erase heartbreak.
They don't.
But because they remind me that goodness is still here.
One of my favorite verses is Philippians 4:8:
"Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable… think about such things."
To me, that doesn't mean pretending hard things don't exist.
It means refusing to let darkness become the only thing we notice.
This weekend, I noticed goodness.
I noticed Kimmy beginning to believe in herself.
I noticed a dad slowing down long enough to build a sparkle set with his daughter.
I noticed a little girl spending her seven dollars on a friend instead of herself.
I noticed someone proudly saying,
"Look what my girl did!"
I noticed a future henna artist holding her very first cone.
I noticed a new friend who kept stopping by just to chat.
Little moments.
Ordinary moments.
The kinds of moments that remind me God is constantly weaving beauty into everyday life.
Maybe that's our invitation this week.
To become someone who believes in people before they fully believe in themselves.
You never know what your encouragement might grow into.
🌻 Looking Ahead
This weekend we'll be bringing the sparkle to Linglestown Liberty Fest before heading back to Spooky Nook for another weekend filled with face paint, henna, glitter, hair tinsel, and hopefully lots of familiar faces.
If you're nearby, I'd absolutely love to see you.
Please come say hello.
💛 Thank You
Thank you for reading these stories each week.
Thank you for trusting me with your children, your celebrations, your conversations, and your memories.
Every face painting eventually washes away.
The glitter eventually falls off.
Even the henna slowly fades.
But the people…
The people stay with me.
Thank you for being part of this little corner of the world we're building together.
Until next week,
With gratitude (and a little extra sparkle),
Brookie ✨