Lots of stories that were told to me in school when I was little started out with “once upon a time” and I loved all those fairy tales. I remember in the 4th grade, remaking the stories, and adding our own illustrations into a giant book. It was great fun.
I’ll never forget the messages that were told to me then. Never did anyone say to me, you will get your happily ever after – but the stories that I read drew me in and I saw myself as the heroine, with an exciting future ahead of me and quite possibly with a handsome and heroic prince.
I still think that to some degree these days. I love that I can be the creator of my future. I love that I can make something better and turn things around. But lately, I have to admit that I have wanted to run and seek a greener pasture. Every time something goes wrong in my life, I tend to want to change direction, look for something new and open my life to new things. But now, I want to stay. I want to make my happily ever after come true.
The difference between who I am now vs. who I was in 4th grade is that I know my happily ever after doesn’t just happen like those princesses and more importantly, I know my happily ever after doesn’t come in a neat formulaic package like the books. My happily ever after will be perfect for me. Thanks be to God.
