To the girl in the row behind me. You celebrated your birthday tonight the best way I know how…. surrounded by your girlfriends.
I heard you snicker and whisper when the dress began to unfold from the fairy godmother’s wand.
I felt the air leave the room when he turned around with the glass slipper in his hand and dissipate as he walked toward her. You experienced tonight the dream of every lady; young and old, rich or poor.
You see, that’s the beautiful thing about dreams, we all have them.
There comes a moment in each of our lives where we experience something, whether real or make believe that transforms us. It takes us to a place that makes our hearts soar, our souls fulfilled and if but for a moment….we are experiencing a dream. And, we are loved (rag-tag dress and all). That’s what happened to you tonight. You experienced the fairy tale. Yes, there was a fairy godmother. There was a set of mice that became beautiful white stags. There was a ball. There was the experience of perfection (seriously the swing in a secret garden!), and then the deeply felt illusion that it all disappeared. Tonight was a right of passage. A place on your journey to womanhood where you caught a glimpse of what could be.
Don’t lose it.
Always remember this moment.
The feeling you have, right now, in the backseat of a minivan as your mom drives you home. The giddy conversation that will ensue as the clock is now striking midnight and you are still bundled up in a blanket fort eating Oreos and potato chips without a care in the world. Tonight you will fall asleep on your super-soft, overly-washed Hello Kitty pillowcase with a big smile on your face.
Because you experienced it. The dream. The hurt.
You will be heartbroken, and fall in love again. You will cry and laugh and discover. After all, that’s what adolescence is all about. But, don’t forget what you really heard tonight. You choose you. You are ENOUGH just as you are. With just what you bring to the ball. Yes, even as a peasant girl, with nothing special to offer, but ALL that you are.
That will always be enough.
Don’t forget to be courageous. Don’t forget to be kind. And, forgiveness always wins.
May you always wear glass slippers and enjoy bedtime whispers. May your heart be full and your days be light
.May love be your banner each and every night.May your dreamsbe big and your realitiesbe rich.For you my dear, that is my wish.
Pretty writing. You make me wish I'd seen the movie. 😉
Awww, that's really good. And really true. 🙂