A Letter to the Little Girl in Me

Mi niña Cristina,

You are an inspiration to me.  Though you were raised with many obstacles you still found a way to forge ahead.  You clung to the positive things you saw rather than the negative ones.  You saw hope when there was poverty, instability, and violence; you have a unique gift to be able to perceive and live life in that way.

Even though poverty may have implied you weren’t valuable, violence may have screamed you weren’t deserving, and instability may have tried to rob you of your sense of self, you always managed to know your worth.  You anchored yourself to the roots of your soul, and even when the insecurities and low self-esteem raged, you believed in your beauty and sacredness.  For your life, you have accepted nothing less than love.

You have always believed in your capacity to accomplish a task or goal, even when you didn’t believe.  There is a strong voice inside of you that continues to motivate you and encourage you, even when you are ready to give up.  I don’t know where that tenacious voice inside of you came from, but it is beautiful and it belongs to you! Sometimes you get down on yourself; start to listen to those thoughts that doubt you, those thoughts that diminish you, those thoughts that discourage you.  But you never allow those thoughts to linger for too long.  You allow your inner voice to speak its truth.  You have the  knowing that those negative thoughts are not your truth.

You have an incredible heart that allows you a great sense of compassion.  You feel the pain and struggle of others and this has allowed you to love greatly.  Even in the experience of your life, your emotions, and your thoughts, you are always considering the other.  You are never so immersed in your experience that you forget the connection you have with the other.  That you have a keen awareness and sensibility to the lives of others is also a beautiful gift.  You learned that selflessness from your beautiful grandmother.

Along the way you have learned to discern the whispers of your heart from the rambling of your mind.    You’ve learned to trust it even though you grew up around broken promises and betrayal. The worst betrayal has been when you have betrayed yourself.  Fortunately, you have trusted your heart during the most important decisions of your life, and because of that, you are living your life with courage and vulnerability.  For these reasons you inspire me.

Everything you have lived has brought you to this moment.  And this moment is perfect!  Just hold on mi niña.  Know that you are safe, that you are cared for, and most of all, you are loved.

With admiration,

The woman you have become.