The girl was weary of traveling the road of life. It was hard to keep hope alive. She yearned for the sunshine and the sight of green growing things. She wanted the wind to caress her cheeks and the rain to cleanse the tears from her face. So she kept on walking down the road, one step at a time. Going back was not an option. Not if she wanted to survive and find happiness.

The little girl wanted to feel her emotions, to think her own thoughts, but most of all, she just wanted to be herself and feel the acceptance from others, that it was Ok to be the “real” child  inside. The child who felt pain, sadness, and fear. She was tired of carrying the past alone. She wanted someone to care about her existence. She wanted to know she mattered, that her life had value. Why was it so hard for people to understand  this?

The child walked until she came to a quiet. peaceful place. She sat down in the meadow and started to talk to the flowers. She closed her eyes and smelled deeply the rich green grass. She smiled softly as she heard the different birds call out to one another. The sun beat down upon her with warm, gentle rays. She drifted off and slept.

When she opened her eyes, she saw a woman sitting in the grass a distance from her. The woman was smiling and she was doing the very same thing she was doing. Soon, they were both breathing in the sweet smells and enjoying the beauty around them. The woman got up and sat down again, a little closer to the child. She could see joy in the woman’s  eyes and the laughter in her face. They stared at each other for a very long time.

The woman stood and moved  closer to the small child until she was just an arm’s length away. When the little girl sighed, the woman sighed. When the child’s tears fell, the woman’s tears fell. When the little girl laughed, the woman laughed. It had been a long time since she felt this safe.

After a while, the little girl gave a big sigh of relief, and she came and sat beside the woman. She breathed in the woman’s clean smell, counted the freckles on her face, and sensed the goodness that lived inside the woman’s soul. She could feel the warmth coming from her heart. She could see truth within her eyes. The child could feel the love all around her, bathing her in a golden light. The woman sang songs to the little girl and she told her stories  about her childhood. Soon, the little girl slept feeling safe and serene.

When she opened her eyes, the woman said, “It’s OK for you to be you. It’s Ok to just be you.” The little girl smiled with great delight. She said to herself, ” I have worth. I like myself. Someone likes me. I can feel my pain and cry my tears. I can let the sadness come and go. I can feel my fear and just be scared.”

 “I know the answer,” the little child said. “I know what happiness is. It’s the freedom to be what I choose to be. I’m free to be me. I’m free to be me. It’s sharing and caring for someone else. It’s about me learning to accept myself and others accepting me.” The little girl danced in the flowers and grass and the woman sang a  song. The child felt loved for the very first time. She knew what happiness was.

Yu/stan/kema