We Are Meant To Shine

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

~Marianne Williamson

On Friday, I laid down the demand that Jose was taking the kids to the play area at the local mall and I was taking a nice long soak bath, alone, with nothing but me, my ipod, and a book. I grabbed a book from the shelf without thinking much about it. I just wanted to have something to read for pure pleasure, not just for work. However, I'm sure that God led my fingers to guide the book which was chosen. A great book for a great Easter weekend and within two days, the 200+ pages had been read.

Quick synopsis: The book, titled Shattered Silence, is an autobiography by Melissa G. Moore, the daughter of the famous "Happy Face" serial killer. She goes through her life from age five on, as she experiences it, and it was so much more than what I expected. The book is so much more than about having a serial killer dad, but it's about the life of a child in a broken home, growing up without a dad at times, learning how close she was to danger, having a home full of abuse, self-esteem problems, eating for emotional reasons, etc. It was fabulous and I didn't want to put it down. At one point, Saturday night, I even fell asleep reading. It's been years since I fell asleep with a book. (So, in case you don't notice, I recommend you read it and it's well worth the less than ten dollars that it costs on Amazon.com!)

The above quote falls within the last pages of the book. After having a few rough days, with some very emotional arguements with Jose, with dealing with my own self-esteem issues, with struggles of balance...this book was refreshing. It hit home too often with how I feel at times, and although the situations are different, it reminds me of the trials that all of us go through, what it means to be human.

This little light of mine,

I'm gonna let it shine.

This little light of mine,

I'm gonna let it shine.

This little light of mine,

I'm gonna let it shine,

let it shine

let it shine

let it shine.