the story of a girl...

close your eyes and imagine a girl. not a woman, a girl. young and fresh at heart, yet old and broken in spirit. she stands alone, weathered and beaten by the world. surrendered before she knew she should fight. your heart is troubled by the sight of the pain she wears in her eyes and the invisible defenses she has built that leave her inaccessible to the love she so strongly desires. you want to turn your eyes away because you know there's nothing you can do to help. but before you can you look a little closer. beyond the pain and beyond the scars, you think you see a glimmer in the sad eyes of this child. way back there, now you're sure you can see it. it grows and grows the longer you look at it. this glimmer is hope. it is freedom and forgiveness. it is love. open. these circumstances don't exist anymore. this girl found hope. she found freedom and forgiveness. she found love. she has power. she is growing and she is learning and she is breaking down walls. she knows she is not in the same place that she was. but sometimes she closes her eyes. and she can remember how it felt to be a girl. young and fresh at heart, yet old and broken in spirit. and she doesn't know how to balance reflection on the past with the promise of a future.