A little girl longing to be cherished and cared for
But no arms open wide to hold her
No words of love whispered in her ear
Rules change without warning
Right one minute wrong the next
Always a bother always asking for trouble
Words get twisted, turned around and used against her
Taught she deserves to be punished
Running to the school yard covered with welts
Swing high then higher escape into the clouds
Don't speak, don't act, don't think, and don’t feel
She has no right
Hiding in her room, stays out of sight
She understands she's not to be seen and
Attention brings hurt and pain
Tears run down her face she wishes for what she can't have
A little girl with hopes and dreams
Of being loved
A few years ago there was an 5-yr old child living down the street from me. Her mom had passed away and her dad did not act like a parent to her. She came to my house often, always dirty, clothes never clean. DFS had been to the house but nothing was ever done to help her or teach her dad basic care for her. After seeing her always running around the neighborhood with no supervision, always hungry, made fun of because of her looks and smell I couldn't just stand by. I bought her a couple of dresses, shoes and socks, and we made a game out of taking a bubble bath and washing her hair. She let me keep her new clothes here...I said it was to make sure she didn't forget them before going to church.She came over almost every day but like clockwork she was at my house at dinner Saturday evening then ready for her bath, to spend the night, and go to church the next morning. She always wanted to look "pretty". I knew that was her way of wanting me to french braid her hair and having her nails painted..This continued for a few years. At times she would slip and call me mom. It made me both happy and sad. Happy that she felt safe and loved, sad because her mom was not there to take care of her like a mom should.
One day she did not come to the house. I wondered why but did not think too much about it. Two days, three day went by and no little girl. She was gone, taken from her dad. For years I never knew what happened to her and prayed she was in a safe and loving place. Not long ago, on a Sunday morning, my doorbell rang. There stood a beautiful young woman. We both just stood there looking at each other and I had a feeling I had met her before. She finally broke the silence and asked me if I remembered her. My little girl had come back, precious and beautiful. I cried when she asked if she could hug me then cried more when she did not let go of me.
We talked for quite awhile. She told me where she had been and what she had been doing all these years. She had just come back to town two days before and celebrated her 17th Birthday the day before. She said the first thing she wanted to do was to come see me. She told me she was on the High School honor roll, taking honor's classes, and was involved in the school music program. More important, she was a happy, bubbly young lady...a far cry from the last time I saw her. As she was leaving she gave me another hug and said, "Thank you for everything you did. I never forgot you or how you took care of me when I couldn't take care of myself. I never forgot all the love you gave me."
A little girl just looking for love. Sometimes you do the right thing and never find out if your words or actions have left a mark on someone. But there are times, like when my doorbell rang, when you are truly blessed by both seeing and hearing how your behavior has helped even one person.
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