Letter to a Little Princess
Dear Princess,
Princess Precious was weeding in her garden. Do you have a garden? Well, Princess Precious did, and she liked it very much. She kept all the weeds out and made sure the flowers had plenty of water. Princess Precious took very good care of her garden and so it grew very well. Sometimes she picked her flowers, but mostly she kept them in the garden and thought how pretty they looked there.
Little Joy liked flowers, too. She also had a garden, but because she was so little, she always forgot to water it, and the flowers drooped sadly. For a fact, there weren’t many flowers. As soon as a bright flower showed its face, Joy would grab it for Mother or put it in her doll’s hair. Precious thought about this as she weeded her garden. How very childish, she thought, I am very glad I’m older and can grow a better garden. Just then little Joy ran up.
“Don’t pick any flowers,” Precious yelled, jumping up to save her pansies from being stepped on, “and don’t run in my garden—keep OUT!”
Joy stood still. “I wasn’t going to hurt them, P’ecious,” she said sadly, “I just wanted to help.”
Princess Precious felt a bit ashamed, but she said tartly, “I don’t need any help—you’re too little, anyway.” She was sorry the minute the words were out, but it was too late. Joy picked up her doll with the ragged flower hat, and slowly walked away. Precious watched Joy brush away a tear. “Why does she have to help me, anyway?” Precious argued with herself. “She tears up my garden so that it looks worse than when I started.”
A little voice whispered, “Mother let you cook even though you burnt the toast—Father let you help paint the shed even though you spilled the paint bucket.” Suddenly Precious felt very little inside, and she thought, “Why do Mother and Father do that? I can’t do things as well as they can, but they let me help anyway.” Princess Precious bowed her head and said, “Dear King Jesus, help me to love Joy just as much as You and Mother and Father care about me. Help me to be kind and let her help me. Amen.”
“Joy,” called Precious, “Joy, would you like to help me in my garden? I’d like some help, if you want to.”
“Can I really?” Joy was excited. “May I pick some flowers, too?”
“Yes,” smiled Princess Precious, giving Joy a hug, “I love my little helper.” And just then, Precious felt happier than ever, for King Jesus reached down and gave her a jewel to wear—the Jewel of Love and Compassion.
Much love to all princesses,
Aunt Grace
P.S. Do you know what compassion means? Turn a couple pages back and read “What Word Am I?”
