Once upon my life, in a time not so long ago, lived a girl who believed in fairy tales. A girl who thought "for ever after" was just a given, without any work involved. A girl who had met her Prince Charming and believed her glass slipper was unbreakable.
When that once upon a time turned into forever after, and the Big Bad Wolf came knocking on her door, she realized that she would need to place her glass slippers upon a shelf and find a pair of good running shoes. She tried on many sizes and styles, until she found a pair that fit just right for the moment and the time she was in.
Her new shoes weren't as pretty and stylish as the ones of her yesteryear, but oddly enough, they fit. They were practical in a way those pretty flawless shoes would never be. Those new shoes kept her sturdy; they were strong, dependable, and just perfect to help her muddle through the trenches of the Deep Dark Woods.
There were times when she missed those fairy tale shoes sitting pretty upon her shelf. There were many moments when she gazed at them and imagined, "what if"; when she longed to wear them, and envied her friends who could. But, not all princesses are meant to wear heels.
Thankfully, this fairy tale has a happy ending. Even if she had to help write it herself. The day she understood that her idea of a fairy tale, was in essence, make-believe, she was able to yank that pen away from that "once upon her life" and start writing a new chapter; one that was built on reality.
And in that reality lived Fairy Godmothers in the form of friends whose magical spell of love cast a barrier between her and the Big Bad Wolf. In that reality lived a Prince Charming who rides on a horse braver and truer than anything Cinderella could have imagined. In that reality, everyone who loves her, dons the most wonderful pair of boots. Some wear them all of the time and some place their slippers upon the shelf and for moments in time, join her in the trenches of life and get muddy and dirty and laugh and cry and try to understand; all because they love her.
And, she thanks them, all of them, for helping her understand that life is what you make of it and a large part of that is who you surround yourself with. She is thankful for her fairy tale. This one was written for her and she couldn't do it without the supporting cast God has given her.
