There have always been little girls who were last to be asked to join in the fun. Awkwardly standing on the sidelines, alone, waiting, longing to be included in the festivities that were before them. The lone one standing when choosing sides for softball. The one whose mailbox remained empty when party invitations went out.
Painfully, silently waiting to be invited, included. Yearning to belong. And never quite getting there.
Deep inside, we're all about 10 years old. Truth be told, most of us still never quite feel like we belong. We wait, isolated, hoping that someone, anyone, will reach out, to ask us to join their group, to come for tea, to celebrate at a gathering, to be a friend. And we remain disappointed when the invitations don't arrive.
And maybe that's just the time for us to open the eyes of our souls. And realize that there are other little girls in grown-up bodies who feel just like we do. They are all around us ... and they are waiting to be invited, welcomed, included.
And out of your pain-fueled compassion, when all is said and done, YOU just might be the one to extend the invitation to others that you never received yourself.
* photo by Tahimy Santana
