(Note: The following story is true but the names have been changed to protect the respective participants privacy)
“Can I have a hug?” I asked the little girl named Nicole who everyone in Center Bible Baptist Church absolutely adored. She was all bundled up in her jacket and she had a cute hat shaped like a football topped with a Niagara State logo. She looked so adorable, I couldn’t pass up a hug from her. In Nicole’s cute way she turned to me, shook her head and said “No.” I made a pouty face which didn’t faze her. Her mom and dad encouraged her to give me one. She smiled and walked toward me with open arms. I knelt down and hugged her. I heard her start giggling and she pointed at my head and said “Hat?” I laughed and said “Yea I have a hat on to.” It was what other children had coined as the ice cream hat. The bottom half and strings are tan and textured to look like an ice cream cone. The top half is white with a pouty face sown on the front and it’s capped off with “chocolate syrup and sprinkles”. But that was not what she was giggling about. At the very top of my hat is red crochet ball with a black string on top. Some people say it’s a cherry some say it’s a strawberry. Nevertheless, I don’t think I’ll ever forget her giggle as she curiously pulled on it. It made me laugh and smile. As she walked out the door she turned around, looked me in the eye, and in her own special pronunciation said “Bye Christa!” my heart melted. This little girl has my heart and I don’t mind. Most days I wish I could take her home and just cuddle with her but kidnapping isn’t my style so I’ll just wait until I see her again to hug her.
This started me thinking. Why am I so interested in this little girl? Why do I love her so much? This particular church is filled with children of every age who deserve love and guidance. What makes this little girl so different? Is it because she is the most beautiful baby I have ever seen? Yes I know that’s cliché but she literally is the most beautiful baby ever. If I believed in pageants, I would enter her in one. Maybe it was because she was the answer to my prayers? Her parents had tried for so long to have a child making her arrival so much more special. Maybe it’s because she’s smart as a whip and her laugh is infectious? I couldn’t narrow it down to one thing. The only thing that I could say was that she was Nicole. There is so much pressure in the adult world to be something other than who you are. Everyone says be yourself but what they truly mean is be yourself by our guidelines. Nicole doesn’t care. She’s just what she is. She doesn’t feel the need to laugh at a horrible joke out of pity, she doesn’t want to dress a certain way to impress people, and she doesn’t need a fancy IPod or cellphone stay connected to her world…she just is true to herself. Eventually Nicole will feel the pressures of life to do what is popular instead of what is honest. She will feel the peer pressure of styling her hair in the latest fashion, dressing in the most modern clothes, having the latest technology attached to her hip to stay connected with every single thing going on in the world, and laughing that pity laugh. As much as we would love her to stay true to herself, we all know that those pressures are hard to overcome. We feel them early on life and they will never go away.
We can all learn something from her though. We can learn that it doesn’t matter how ugly we think we are even if we have a crooked nose, messed up teeth, eyes that are crossed, are too fat, or are too short. We are who we are and it is something that we should embrace. You are special. God handcraft you for a specific design and purpose. He gave you that annoying laugh and unmanageable curly hair. Not because He hates you but because He loves you. To Him, you are beautiful. Beautiful and special enough for Him to send His only Son to die on a cross just for you. If that doesn’t make you value your own self than nothing will. There comes a time in every man and woman’s life were must find ourselves and realize who we really are. We somehow lose ourselves in the hustle and bustle of keeping up with the times and the pressure of popularity. Who are you? I am Christa Grace. I am too sarcastic, a little “chunky”, too honest, too giving, and a major procrastinator. It took me 26 years for me to figure that my flaws are what makes me Christa. Just like Nicole laughing at a simple red crochet ball being herself, I tend to be more honest and forthcoming that what people like. I used to consider it a flaw but it’s not really. What would you want more a person who is honest about what they think or someone who dances around the truth for fear someone might judge them too harshly? I have a friend who hates confrontation and will do anything to avoid it. Is that wrong? Not saying that she is dishonest and lies to your face but she is less willing to tell someone they are doing something wrong than say me. God each gave us personalities so this life wouldn’t be boring. When I’m too honest, my friend steps in to soften the blow, another one steps to encourage them to do the right thing, while another one guides them in the way to do the right thing. If there wasn’t that friend there with the personality to soften the blow, that person would probably end up mad about everything. If I never said anything, that person may end up going down the wrong path in life. In our own way each of us is different but together we make a good group.
In conclusion, real beauty is not something that is bought or sold but can only be attained by being our true selves. By embracing what God truly made us for. That’s real beauty. I hope Nicole will always stay true to herself and never lose her real beauty.
Until next time,
Be Happy Today
Always Sing in the Rain
Christa
“Can I have a hug?” I asked the little girl named Nicole who everyone in Center Bible Baptist Church absolutely adored. She was all bundled up in her jacket and she had a cute hat shaped like a football topped with a Niagara State logo. She looked so adorable, I couldn’t pass up a hug from her. In Nicole’s cute way she turned to me, shook her head and said “No.” I made a pouty face which didn’t faze her. Her mom and dad encouraged her to give me one. She smiled and walked toward me with open arms. I knelt down and hugged her. I heard her start giggling and she pointed at my head and said “Hat?” I laughed and said “Yea I have a hat on to.” It was what other children had coined as the ice cream hat. The bottom half and strings are tan and textured to look like an ice cream cone. The top half is white with a pouty face sown on the front and it’s capped off with “chocolate syrup and sprinkles”. But that was not what she was giggling about. At the very top of my hat is red crochet ball with a black string on top. Some people say it’s a cherry some say it’s a strawberry. Nevertheless, I don’t think I’ll ever forget her giggle as she curiously pulled on it. It made me laugh and smile. As she walked out the door she turned around, looked me in the eye, and in her own special pronunciation said “Bye Christa!” my heart melted. This little girl has my heart and I don’t mind. Most days I wish I could take her home and just cuddle with her but kidnapping isn’t my style so I’ll just wait until I see her again to hug her.
This started me thinking. Why am I so interested in this little girl? Why do I love her so much? This particular church is filled with children of every age who deserve love and guidance. What makes this little girl so different? Is it because she is the most beautiful baby I have ever seen? Yes I know that’s cliché but she literally is the most beautiful baby ever. If I believed in pageants, I would enter her in one. Maybe it was because she was the answer to my prayers? Her parents had tried for so long to have a child making her arrival so much more special. Maybe it’s because she’s smart as a whip and her laugh is infectious? I couldn’t narrow it down to one thing. The only thing that I could say was that she was Nicole. There is so much pressure in the adult world to be something other than who you are. Everyone says be yourself but what they truly mean is be yourself by our guidelines. Nicole doesn’t care. She’s just what she is. She doesn’t feel the need to laugh at a horrible joke out of pity, she doesn’t want to dress a certain way to impress people, and she doesn’t need a fancy IPod or cellphone stay connected to her world…she just is true to herself. Eventually Nicole will feel the pressures of life to do what is popular instead of what is honest. She will feel the peer pressure of styling her hair in the latest fashion, dressing in the most modern clothes, having the latest technology attached to her hip to stay connected with every single thing going on in the world, and laughing that pity laugh. As much as we would love her to stay true to herself, we all know that those pressures are hard to overcome. We feel them early on life and they will never go away.
We can all learn something from her though. We can learn that it doesn’t matter how ugly we think we are even if we have a crooked nose, messed up teeth, eyes that are crossed, are too fat, or are too short. We are who we are and it is something that we should embrace. You are special. God handcraft you for a specific design and purpose. He gave you that annoying laugh and unmanageable curly hair. Not because He hates you but because He loves you. To Him, you are beautiful. Beautiful and special enough for Him to send His only Son to die on a cross just for you. If that doesn’t make you value your own self than nothing will. There comes a time in every man and woman’s life were must find ourselves and realize who we really are. We somehow lose ourselves in the hustle and bustle of keeping up with the times and the pressure of popularity. Who are you? I am Christa Grace. I am too sarcastic, a little “chunky”, too honest, too giving, and a major procrastinator. It took me 26 years for me to figure that my flaws are what makes me Christa. Just like Nicole laughing at a simple red crochet ball being herself, I tend to be more honest and forthcoming that what people like. I used to consider it a flaw but it’s not really. What would you want more a person who is honest about what they think or someone who dances around the truth for fear someone might judge them too harshly? I have a friend who hates confrontation and will do anything to avoid it. Is that wrong? Not saying that she is dishonest and lies to your face but she is less willing to tell someone they are doing something wrong than say me. God each gave us personalities so this life wouldn’t be boring. When I’m too honest, my friend steps in to soften the blow, another one steps to encourage them to do the right thing, while another one guides them in the way to do the right thing. If there wasn’t that friend there with the personality to soften the blow, that person would probably end up mad about everything. If I never said anything, that person may end up going down the wrong path in life. In our own way each of us is different but together we make a good group.
In conclusion, real beauty is not something that is bought or sold but can only be attained by being our true selves. By embracing what God truly made us for. That’s real beauty. I hope Nicole will always stay true to herself and never lose her real beauty.
Until next time,
Be Happy Today
Always Sing in the Rain
Christa
