Real change begins in the heart...

         Once upon a time there was an innocent little girl. The little girl had no knowledge of dark and ugly things. She was all smiles. But hardly had she toddled out of her infancy when the darkness came to call. She was injured in a way that leaves a deep and ugly scar. The little girl felt shame for the very first time. She did her best to cover the scar. She didn't want anyone to see it. She kept it a secret. She tried to forget it. But the scar was always there and the little girl grew up with her ugly secret draped over her heart. She struggled through her childhood with feelings of deep depression. She thought about ending her life... often. Finally, when she made up her mind to live, she tried to convince herself that the scar was gone, that what happened to her was no longer important and didn't matter to her anymore... But it did.
         As the girl grew into an adult she found so much to live for! She found love and joy and purpose in her life! But life was not easy. She faced challenges she never thought she would face! She dealt with loss and betrayal, deceit and false accusations. She watched in horror as her well intentioned acts of service were misinterpreted time and time again. She was flooded with feelings of grief, sadness, anger and resentment. She stumbled through life for a while, in a sea of confusion, shrouded by sorrow.
        Then one day, like an evil spell had been lifted, she had a blessed moment of clarity. She saw a fork in the road and she made a choice. She started down a new path. The new path had all the same problems and all the same sorrows, but the way she reacted to them was different. She worked hard to forge ahead. It wasn't easy. She stopped allowing herself to wallow in misery. She started changing her thoughts. She started searching for reasons to laugh, instead of cry. She started changing who she was... and the change began in her heart.
        Many years later, that girl is a woman now... a woman who works tirelessly to stay on the right path. A woman who smiles with her whole being and not just with her mouth. A woman who seeks light and truth wherever she goes. A woman on a mission, to be everything God intended her to be.
        Is she perfect? Certainly not! But she does her very best, to be the best she can be! And wherever she finds truth, light, knowledge and love, she rejoices! Life will never be easy... but every time she finds a spark of what she is searching for, she knows, it is worth it!