The Little Girl Within -- A Little Girl Grows Up

Curiosity and wonder come naturally to a child, but sometimes as we grow older, "life" seems to dampen this gift ... but there is hope.  Today, Judi shares a bit of her story.

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            As a little girl living in an apartment building in the city, I found many wonders to behold for a child’s eye.  Surrounded mostly by concrete and tar, with only occasional patches of greenery, I could still find fascination around me. 

            The one bedroom apartment was small for a family of four, but the kitchen window offered a wondrous view of dust particles sparkling in a ray of sunshine or at night the neon signs flashing on and off at nearby businesses.  Equally fascinating, the sweet smell of the spring rain, how on the hottest days of summer the tar in the streets would bubble up, the beautiful colored leaves of fall, or heavy snowfalls in the winter that meant fun rather than school. 

            However, as time passed, childish wonder in my life was crushed and buried under the weight of the emotional pain of a dysfunctional family.  Little by little fascination fell victim to the upheaval of a home filled with anger, so much so that by the age of ten I was already severely depressed.

            This depression, in varying degrees, persisted for many years as I passed through the difficult teen age into adulthood, a bad marriage, divorce and the challenges of being a single parent - all of which fed into the emotional turmoil.

            Finally, after living half of the normal expectancy of life, I discovered the answer for my hopeless spirit to be only a prayer away.  The words of a song come to mind, “He was there all the time, He was there all the time, Waiting patiently in line, He was there all the time.”  He, God, responded to my prayer avowing the need for Him in my life.  I made the wonderful choice to be His child, not that of the world that could offer no solace, and found that special peace which is offered to each of us who acknowledge Jesus Christ to be God’s Son and our Redeemer. 

            It has been many years now since that life-changing decision and miraculously God has restored and renewed my childhood wonder through past memories and current blessings.
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Judi lives in Wisconsin and has had inspirational articles published nationally. She has written award winning poetry and short stories, as well as being a Christian speaker.  She may be contacted at amber1lady@yahoo.com .

If you have a Little Girl Within story that you would like to share in order to encourage others, I would love to hear from you. Guidelines for submission are at the bottom of the post for the start of the series here.