I have known you all your life. Come now and listen my blue-eyed girl, while I regale you with the extraordinary story of you.

When you were just a wee lass I knew instantly you were of fire—fierce, blazing and at times, a bit garish. Your fire so powerful no one dare approach. Other times, you radiate a warm and steady heat, like the sands of beaches we so love to bask on.

A warmth we are reluctant to leave; the comfort it imparts is like no other; each grain of sand seemingly enveloping and cradling our every cell in the softest eiderdown. Unlike coats and bulky woolen sweaters, your incandescent spirit warms us from the inside out.

Ferocious at times, your courage and strength often place you in harm’s way; your unwavering allegiance and maternal nature blind you from the perils of engaging a predator far bigger than yourself to protect those you love. You have been labelled a girl with “issues” and “anger problems.” Some call you crazy behind your back—too frightened to learn first-hand if these are just rumors or descriptions justly deserved.

You have a reputation.

You are the epitome of small but mighty. You are of slight physical stature; long and lean and therefore underestimated. This is your opponents first mistake and you’ve always made it work in your favor.

I have witnessed you from afar during times of great duress and even thought you broken on one occasion only to see you rise, bleeding and bruised, unsteady and shaking, finally finding your feet to stand alone in silent victory. I have seen burning tears roll down your cheeks, exposing your pale white skin through the grit and dust, striping your warrior face.

And I have witnessed you from afar gently transporting an earthworm destined to die in the scorching heat of exposure and placing it in the protective shade afforded by tall blades of grass, leaving only when it had wriggled its grateful self through the cool earth to safety. You’ve always championed those in peril no matter the cost to yourself. And the cost has been great at times; your actions so contradictory your good deeds often misinterpreted as bizarre breaks from reality.

You are a sign of fire but gravitate toward the ocean and all it beholds. The salt water heals your wounds and the waves move you, not only physically but emotionally, providing a soul quenching tether to moon and stars, preventing your inevitable combustion. You’ve never been able to resist that which you are from—fire and sun. Both fire and water are your strength; your wisdom comes from knowing the pull toward one and necessity of the other—it’s what ensures your survival.

You are both goddess and gladiator in one chaotic yet harmonious being. Although often unsure and sometimes afraid, others stand in awe of you. You command the powers of Athena: strength, wisdom, fighting only for justice, never yielding to pride or ego. But the gods pulse through your veins also, Achilles front and center, driven by fury and rage, words often associated with the sun’s surface. But like Achilles, you are vulnerable and have tasted the blood from your wounds. Your ties to the sea and longing for love draw forth Aphrodite and her passion for that which makes our hearts sing and our spirits soar.

You have always been beautiful; unbridled, wild and enchanting—sometimes losing your way—stumbling on vanity and blinded by desire, but nothing has ever come to you easily. You’ve had to fight for it all so I do not stand in judgment. Warrior goddesses must take pleasure in fleeting moments. I have seen you weep with your heart in your hands but again, had you known I was spying, you would never have shown me your Achilles heel—ever. It’s a sign of weakness and an unguarded moment exposes your life force and can prove deadly.

You have saved me a million times in a million ways. How do I thank you? How can I ever repay this cavernous debt owed to you? In my life you have been savior, friend and protector. My survival has depended on you. My heart beats only because you are its life blood; my lungs expand only because you are my oxygen and my soul thrives only because you have nourished it all these many long years.

I have grown strong under your wings and now, my sweet child, the time has come for you to lay down your swords of steel, shed your tarnished armor and bathe in the healing salt waters of the sea. Let me now tend your wounds and dry your tears for you are the best part of me, the light which shines in my eyes and the laughter blessing God’s ears.

You are her and she is me. We are one singular vital life force orbiting life’s obstacles and triumphs together, forever bound to one another. Be the child you so selflessly left behind to be the keeper of my secrets and the guardian of my innocence. Now is the time for ribbons in your hair and ruffles on your socks. Skip down the yellow brick road in your ruby red shoes; frolic in the autumn mist with Puff the Magic Dragon and dance with fairies in moon beam shadows.

No greater sound can there ever be than that of a child’s happy whispers to her winged horse taking flight to jump the stars.

Sail on Silver Girl.
Sail on by.
Your time has come to shine.
All your dreams are on their way.

 

~

Author: Mary McLaurine

Editor: Travis May

Image: Flickr/[email protected]