I just feel like it is a Young Women's lesson I would have treasured because I adore fairy tales. Maybe I will get the chance to teach it someday or something. But for now... This one's for you, my lovely blog readers. [I won't get extra crazy, but I will give you just a thought.] Excuse the cheese... and the peas. :)
"We are daughters of our Heavenly Father." We say it all the time.
We have a divine heritage. We have divine potential. This is written on the posters on our walls.
We are princesses. We hear this every week.
But how often do we actually stop to think about it? To believe it?
Mom, do you realize that you are a princess? I sometimes forget to remember who I am.
Obviously, if you read my blog you know how I feel about raisins. Today, I'd like to introduce you to peas.
Because of our divine potential, there are many peas stuck underneath our mattresses. We've got to prove who we are. Are we worthy to live in a castle? To marry a prince? To become a queen?
To me, peas are trials, tests, hardships. They are put under our mattresses by circumstance, by our own choices, and by the choices of others.
The specific peas that I am thinking about today are peas pertaining to negative peer influence. These are the kind of peas that we, as princesses, MUST be sensitive to.
When someone puts in a movie or plays a song that isn't congruent with our standards, this is the time to decide if we will be who we are. It's time to ask: Will I choose to feel the pea and be proven a princess? OR Will I ignore it, jump off the mattress, and forfeit the benefits and blessings of being a princess, pea by pea?
It certainly is not easy to risk offending those around us. It is not easy to take those first steps to leave the room. It is not easy to miss out on activities. When you choose to act like a princess, take action, and notice the peas, you get bruises. It's as simple as that. But blessings come. And it IS worth it. I know this without a doubt.
Little things like peas [and raisins] matter.
After I had been mulling over these thoughts, I read a wonderful poem that I feel like applies to my peas and raisins philosophy.
Ladies and gentlemen. Gerard Manley Hopkins.
Pied Beauty
| GLORY be to God for dappled things— | |
| For skies of couple-colour as a brinded cow; | |
| For rose-moles all in stipple upon trout that swim; | |
| Fresh-firecoal chestnut-falls; finches’ wings; | |
| Landscape plotted and pieced—fold, fallow, and plough; | 5 |
| And áll trádes, their gear and tackle and trim. | |
| All things counter, original, spare, strange; | |
| Whatever is fickle, freckled (who knows how?) | |
| With swift, slow; sweet, sour; adazzle, dim; | |
| He fathers-forth whose beauty is past change: | 10 |
| Praise him. |
To me this is just all about finding beauty in unlikely places. It is about opposition and imperfection. It's about real life.
My teacher gave us the first line "Glory be to God for..." and asked us to quick write our own version.
Peas and Raisins
Glory be to God for the Raisins in the bran--
For the peas beneath my mattress.
For the fire beneath my skin.
For learning each day by doing...
And messing up.
Again and again... And again.
For children's laughter
And freckles and smiles.
For rollercoasters.
For running three miles.
For family time
And motorcycles too!
These things all bring me joy.
And I'd like to say: Thank You!
--Michelle Clark
I'm no Gerard. That's for sure. But this poem meant a lot to me. Especially because it was a free-flowing quick write.
I'm grateful for the peas and for the raisins. I truly have been so amazingly blessed. I feel my Savior's love most tenderly today. I know that His hand is directly in my life. I know that He is the only reason that I can manage my pain, the fire beneath my skin, with a smile and with hope. He is everything. When looked at with the correct perspective, it is apparent that fairy tales do exist. Happily ever afters do exist. They just take faith and work. I'm so grateful to the many people that have helped me to learn these things.
Be who you are. Be a princess. Be sensitive to the peas. Endure them. Enjoy life. Smile. Notice the raisins. Run with patience. [These are my goals.]
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