A Story

Once upon a time, there lived a lonely little girl who spent most of her days on a grassy hill, near her home, dreaming of what ifs. After all, she thought, the world was filled with possibilities...wasn't it?

She was one of the youngest in her family, having two older sisters, an older brother and a younger brother that she adored. Bring the baby sister, she was teased by her older sisters and ignored by her older brother. Teasing, being the norm in most families between siblings, and yet she felt unloved and at times, invisible. Deep inside, she knew this wasn't the way life could be.

Someday when she grew to be a woman and the time was right, she thought to herself, life would be wonderful and her dream to become a mother would be realized. She was certain she would be a perfect mother. Her children would sit beside her on the couch in the evening as she read books to them. They would have picnics in the park, take walks and love all that life brought their way. Her children would not do as she was now, and spend lonely days dreaming of what ifs. They would live in a gracious, lovely home where she would tend to the flower beds and trim the hedges that lined the wide walkway to their front porch. Her children would play in the yard. Sounds of laughter and joy would fill their world and rise to the sky, pleasing the heavens, causing the sun, moon and stars to dance. Inside the home would be the fragrance of sweet, fresh picked flowers and the aroma of cherry potpourri, just as if you had walked into a wild flower garden.

Through the blessings that God allows, she survived her childhood and as an adult, she had five children of her own. She loved each one and treasured the life that she had because of them.

The day came when her life, her heart and the moon seemed to suddenly stop. In truth, nothing had ceased to be other than the childhood dreams she had once upon a time made, as she pondered what ifs on that grassy hill. The life she was living was changing as if it were pages of a story book that someone had decided needed to be edited to their liking.

The lonely little girl who had grown to be a woman, decided the time had come when she must remove herself from the life she was living. A life that felt like a slow walk through a dark tunnel that was leading her to an edge where she would surely fall into cascading waters below.

And so it was, the moon that had faded away behind a cloud, reappeared. The evening sky became full of uncountable stars that lit the way for her new life. The cascading waters turned to a placid surface. She could dream again and find comfort in her life while making new memories with her children. It was as if Christmas morning had finally arrived as she sat in the midst of her children, each being filled with the thrill of expectations, no longer having to stave off the opening of the presents that lay before them and remain there as long as they desired.