When I was a little girl I used to love to ride the bus to the Baptist church on Sunday morning. The preacher would pace in front of the congregation, his face flush with emotion as he pleaded with us to turn our lives over to God. We were like sunflowers, planted in the pews, all leaning toward the sun.
My heart would nearly burst when we would sing This Little Light of Mine or I've Got Joy, Joy, Joy, Joy Down in My Heart. Sometimes my little body felt like too small a container for all the passion and joy I felt. I was connected to the life force and creative energy flowed like lava through my veins.
As I reached puberty I started to be self-conscious. I could hear their angry wonder: "Who does she think she is?" I didn't want to be accused of being "too big for my britches." I consciously tried to make myself small.
I have spent much of my life trying to make myself small. It's sad really.
More than ever the world needs us to contribute as much as we are capable of giving. We can no longer afford to make ourselves small.
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