I came across a faded piece of paper recently and when I read over it I was reminded of why I kept it all these years. This passage was read at the funeral of a co-worker about 18 years ago. She was a radiant young woman whose sparkling personality and beauty drew others to her. Gone to soon. This resonated with me then and resonates now:
“We ask ourselves who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous?Actually, who are you NOT to be?? You are a child of God. Your playing small does NOT serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We were born to manifest the Glory of God that is within us, ALL of us. And as we let our Light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fears, our Presence automatically liberates others!”
by Marianne Williamson http://www.marianne.com/
I am overwhelmed at how true this is. We were not created to shrink or to be less than who we are. To raise confident and self-possessed children, we need to be as well. When you hold back and offer the world a lesser version of yourself, what message are you sending the world? That you will accept less? When you make negative comments about your abilities or your body, what message are you sending others and your children? How can they be expected to love themselves if we don’t do the same?
It starts with this: Be grateful for what you DO have, for what you CAN do, and what you ARE capable of.
This little light of mine … I’m gonna let it shine.
